Goalie Save Percentage Calculator

Enter shots against and goals against to get a goalie's save percentage (SV%), the share of shots on goal that were stopped.

Quick Facts

Formula
SV% = Saves ÷ Shots = (Shots − Goals) ÷ Shots
Reported as a 3-decimal figure, e.g. .933. Multiply by 100 for a percentage.

Your Results

Calculated
Save percentage (SV%)
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Saves ÷ shots on goal
As a percentage
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SV% × 100
Saves
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Shots − goals against
Goals-against ratio
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Share of shots that scored

Ready

Enter shots against and goals against, then calculate.

About goalie save percentage

Save percentage (SV%) is the single most-cited measure of goaltending efficiency. It answers one plain question: of all the shots on goal a goalie faced, what share did they stop? It is used in ice hockey, soccer (goalkeepers), lacrosse, water polo, field hockey and handball, and it lets you compare goalies who faced very different shot volumes on the same footing.

The formula

Save percentage is saves divided by shots on goal:

SV% = Saves ÷ Shots on Goal

You rarely record "saves" directly off a scoresheet — you record shots against and goals against. Because every shot on goal is either saved or scored, saves are just the difference:

Saves = Shots on Goal − Goals Against

Substituting gives the form this calculator uses:

SV% = (Shots on Goal − Goals Against) ÷ Shots on Goal

The result is a proportion between 0 and 1. By convention it is written as a three-decimal number with no leading zero — a goalie who stops 28 of 30 shots has an SV% of 28 ÷ 30 = 0.933, written .933. Multiply by 100 (93.3%) if you prefer a percentage. The mirror figure, goals against ÷ shots, is the share that beat the goalie; SV% and that ratio always add to 1 (0.933 + 0.067 = 1.000).

What counts as a "shot on goal"

Only shots on goal count in the denominator — shots that would have gone in if not stopped, plus shots that did go in. Missed shots (wide or over the net) and blocked shots (blocked by a skater or defender before reaching the goalie) are not included. This is why save percentage is a fairer goalie measure than goals against alone: it credits the goalie only for shots they actually had to deal with. A goal counts as a shot on goal, so it belongs in both the goals-against and shots-on-goal totals.

Reference points and benchmarks

  • NHL hockey: roughly .900 is a league-average starter, .915 is solid, and .920 or above is elite over a season. A single strong game can be .950 or higher; a shutout of 30 shots is a perfect 1.000 for that game.
  • Career milestones: the best modern NHL goalies sustain career save percentages around .915–.925 across tens of thousands of shots.
  • Soccer: goalkeepers typically post save percentages around 65–75%; a keeper stopping 3 of 4 shots on target is at .750 (75%).
  • Sample size: single-game SV% swings wildly. One goal on 10 shots is .900, but one goal on 40 shots is .975. Season-level judgments need hundreds of shots before the number stabilizes.

A worked example

A goalie faces 33 shots on goal and allows 3 goals. Saves = 33 − 3 = 30. SV% = 30 ÷ 33 = 0.909, or .909 (90.9%). The goals-against ratio is 3 ÷ 33 = .091. To roll up a season, add every game's shots and goals first, then divide the season totals — do not average each game's percentage, because games with more shots should carry more weight.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate goalie save percentage?
Divide saves by shots on goal: SV% = Saves ÷ Shots. Since saves equal shots on goal minus goals against, you can compute it straight from a scoresheet as (Shots − Goals) ÷ Shots. Example: 30 shots faced, 2 goals allowed → 28 saves → 28 ÷ 30 = .933.
What is a good save percentage?
In the NHL, about .900 is an average starter, .915 is good, and .920+ is elite over a full season; below roughly .890 is poor. Soccer goalkeepers are usually in the 65–75% range. Standards differ by sport because shot volume and difficulty differ, so compare goalies within the same sport and level.
Why doesn't the calculator count missed or blocked shots?
Save percentage uses only shots on goal — shots that either scored or were stopped by the goalie. Shots that missed the net or were blocked by a teammate never reached the goalie, so including them would unfairly credit the goalie for shots they never had to save. Enter only shots on goal in the "shots against" field.
How do I combine save percentage across several games?
Add up total shots on goal and total goals against across all the games, then divide once: SV% = (total shots − total goals) ÷ total shots. Averaging the per-game percentages gives a slightly different (and less accurate) answer because it treats a 10-shot game and a 40-shot game as equally important.

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