Goal (ice Hockey) - Types of Goals

Types of Goals

There are a number of different types of goals for which separate statistics are kept, but all count equally:

• An even strength goal is a goal scored when both teams have the same number of players on the ice.
• A power play goal (PPG) is a goal scored by a team on a power play, that is, with a numerical advantage in players due to a penalty being served by one or more of the other team's players.
• A shorthanded goal (SHG) is a goal scored by a team that is on the penalty kill, that is, at a numerical disadvantage due to a penalty being served by one or more of its players
• An empty net goal (ENG) is a goal scored when there is no goalie guarding the net because he has been pulled for an extra attacker
• A penalty shot goal is a goal scored on a penalty shot, that is, a one-on-one confrontation between a single offensive player and the goaltender as a result of a penalty
• An own goal is when a player puts the puck into their own net, scoring for the other team
• An overtime goal is a goal scored in sudden-death overtime
• A go-ahead goal is the goal that puts one team ahead of another after the game has been tied
• A game-tying goal or an equaliser is a goal that causes the game to be tied, scored by a team that is down one goal (prior to the 1984-85 season, the NHL credited game-tying goals to the final scorers for both teams in tie games).
• A game-winning goal (GWG) is the goal scored by a team that defeats a team which scores goals; e.g. if team A beats team B 2-1, the scorer of team A's second goal is credited with the GWG, if team A beats team B 4-2, the third goal would be the game winning goal.