Hockey Stats Abbreviations And Its Meaning Explained

SM in hockey stats means Shots Missed. It refers to a player's attempt to shoot the goal that missed the net.

Hockey is an unpredictable and challenging game. Often, players shoot the puck into the net aiming to secure a goal. However, it skips the net not resulting in a goal.

If a player can not secure the goal despite hitting the puck into the net then it is said to be a shot missed. It is not officially tracked by the NHL but shows the athlete's efforts.

Although the term is not widely recognized, some commentators and analysts make use of it.

Ebug means Emergency Backup Goaltender in hockey. If a goalie suffers an injury or illness, the backup replaces him in the arena.

NHL has a rule when both netminders of a team can not attend the game. It mentions that the team can dress anyone eligible for the post in such cases.

Ebug are the goalies who play in the local leagues; each team has one or more of them. Such goaltenders have an athletic experience in schools, colleges, universities, or clubs.

Although Ebugs are present in the game, it is still determined that they will always get time on the ice. However, they should come prepared to enter the arena with confidence.

SV means Saves in hockey. It refers to the number of shots on goal that a goalie has stopped over the game or the season.

Saves can impact the overall outcome of a game. It also depicts a goaltender's performance in a particular match or year.

It is a popular term that is used in statistics. SV% is another word that refers to Save Percentage which is the total shots stopped by a goalie upon total shots faced.

Catching the puck shot before it reaches the net is a skill that a netminder hones. The one with more saves and a high save percentage can be taken as the best goalie.

SA means Shots Against in hockey. It is the number of shots a goalie has faced during a game or a particular season.

It is an important stat to evaluate a team's defending capacity. It is also used to assess a goaltender's workload throughout the match or year.

If the goalie has faced more shots then it reveals that the defense system of the team is weak. They are allowing more scoring opportunities to the opponent and increasing the work pressure on the goalie.

However, if the goaltender has faced fewer shots, then it shows that the defensemen are strong. Also, they have yet to allow more goal opportunities to the rivals.

SOG means Shots On Goal in hockey. It is the number of shots that a team or player has taken which required the opponent's goalie to make a save.

It is used to evaluate the offense's performance and the player's shooting ability. A higher number of shots on goal means that the offense is strong.

It also discloses that the player or team generates more scoring opportunities. It eventually increases their chance of scoring and winning the games.

However, if the SOG is less then the team should look to make changes to their offense team to secure more wins in the forthcoming games or season.

P means Points in hockey. It indicates the total number of goals and assists a player has secured in a game or season.

It is also represented by PTS and is calculated from Win, Loss, Ties, Overtime Win, Overtime Loss, Shootout Win, and Shootout Loss.

The players receive 2 points for a win, overtime win, or shootout win. They get a point for a draw, a loss in overtime, or a shootout. Likewise, they do not receive any points for loss.

A player with the highest point suggests that they are productive. Moreover, it depicts that the athlete has contributed to the team's success in winning games.

SHG means Short Handed Goals in hockey. It refers to the goals that a player had secured when their team was shorthanded.

Shorthanded is a term that refers to having fewer players on the ice due to penalty. Basically, it indicates that the opposing team is in a power play.

Ice hockey has three types of penalties spanning 2,4, and 5 minutes. A penalized player has to spend a certain time in the penalty box and their team will lack members on the ice.

Meanwhile, if a player from their team secures a goal then it is said to be a short-handed goal. If the opposing team scores a goal, it is PPG or Power Play Goal.

Forecheck in hockey is a strategy that involves pressuring the opponents in the offensive zone to regain control of the puck and secure a goal.

It is a kind of checking in the opponent's defensive area. It involves assertive skating, the stick works by forward, body positioning, and defensemen's support.

Forechecking is used in three conditions: after a turnover to gain puck possession, after the dump to recover the disc, and rebound followed by a scoring attempt.

It is a vital part of ice hockey which makes the game fascinating. Moreover, there are multiple ways to implement such strategies in the arena.

The team decides on the forechecking system considering their strength, weaknesses, and the opponent's gameplay.

Gordie Howe Hat Trick occurs when a player in ice hockey secures a goal, an assist, and a fight in one game. It is named after former player Gordon Howe.

Hat-trick in a game refers to three-time positive feats(scores, goals, wickets) in the match. The abbreviation was coined from the term 'hat-trick' and Gordon's performance.

It is a sarcastic statement that is used in NHL games. Gordon, the muse behind the term, recorded only two Gordie Howe hat-tricks throughout his career.

Richard Tocchet has accomplished the highest number of feats in the NHL. He secured a goal, an assist, and a fight in 18 games. 

Bully means faceoffs in hockey. The term originated because the team members used to bully each other during the faceoff in earlier times.

It occurs when the linesman can not determine the team who possesses the puck.  Faceoffs usually happen at the beginning of the match between two teams.

Faceoffs are also called after a penalty, a goal, a hand pass, an icing call, and when the puck goes out of the arena. Bully is no longer used in NHL and faceoffs are called faceoffs. 

During a face-off, one player from each team lineup faces each other. Both of them become ready to gain control of the puck when the referee drops it in the middle.

Empty net in hockey means that the goaltender has been pulled away from the ice in order to add an extra attacker in the match.

Ice hockey is a game of 6 players, but there is no concrete rule that one should be a goalie. Thus, the team can replace a goalie and add a player to increase their chance of winning.

In such cases, no one in the arena will guard the net. The team will be in powerplay having 6 players instead of the regular five.

It depicts that they have more scoring opportunities to win or draw the match. It also provides an advantage to the opposing team to goal freely if they reach up to the offensive zone.

S means Shots in hockey stats. It is an attempt by a player to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opponent's net.

The number of shots taken by a player is recorded in the NHL. It can be used to evaluate and analyze the player's offensive performance.

A high number of shots means the team's scoring chances are high. It also pictures that there is constant pressure on the opposing goaltender.

Such statistical data helps navigate a player's resilience and drawbacks.

SO means Shootout in hockey. It offers penalty shots to selected players in a team if a game ends in a tie after regulation time and overtime.

In the NHL, the shootout is followed during the regular season only. The one team to score more goals during the shootout wins the game.

82 games are played in the regular season of the National Hockey League. If a shootout is not facilitated, the match takes longer to get over.

Selected players from each team will be allowed to shoot at the opposing team's goalie. It ends when all the chosen athletes shoot the puck at the net.