Save Percentage Explained: How to Calculate It
Save percentage is the single cleanest read on how a goalie or keeper is playing. It answers one question: of the shots that reached the net, how many did the netminder stop? One number, no noise. Here is how to calculate it, what counts as a shot, and what separates a solid night from an elite one.
4 min read · Reviewed July 2026
What save percentage measures
Save percentage is the share of shots on goal that the goalie stops. It rewards the job that matters most for a netminder: keeping the puck or ball out of the net. Goals allowed by volume can lie. A keeper who faces 40 shots and lets in 3 played better than one who faced 12 and let in 2. Save percentage sorts that out because it grades every stop against the workload.
It only counts shots on goal, meaning shots that would have gone in if not stopped, plus the ones that did go in. Shots that miss the net or get blocked by a defender never reach the keeper, so they never enter the math. That keeps the stat honest: it grades the goalie on the work that actually landed on the doorstep.
How to calculate save percentage
Take the saves and divide by the total shots on goal faced. Total shots faced is just saves plus goals against, because every shot on goal ends one of two ways: stopped or scored. That is the whole formula.
The count is the only thing that varies by sport. Hockey and lacrosse log saves and goals against directly. Soccer does the same for a keeper facing shots on target. Whatever the sport, the ratio is identical.
Save % = Saves ÷ (Saves + Goals Against)
- ·Saves + Goals Against = total shots on goal faced
Worked example
A goalie faces 30 shots on goal and lets in 3. That means 27 saves and 3 goals against, so 30 total shots faced.
Run the numbers: 27 divided by 30 equals 0.900. Hockey writes that as .900. Soccer would show the same figure as 90 percent. Same stop rate, two ways of writing it.
27 saves, 3 goals against. 27 ÷ (27 + 3) = 27 ÷ 30 = .900, or 90%.
Decimal or percentage: reading the number
Hockey reports save percentage as a three-digit decimal like .915, spoken as "nine fifteen." Lacrosse tends to follow the same decimal convention. Soccer more often shows it as a full percentage, so .915 becomes 91.5%.
They are the same value. Move the decimal two places and you switch between the two formats. Do not let the notation fool you into thinking one sport uses a different stat.
Benchmarks: what counts as good
In hockey, .900 is a solid, dependable night. Cross .920 and you are in elite territory, the level that steals games and wins series. Below .880 and the goalie is bleeding goals faster than the shot quality alone explains.
Soccer and lacrosse shift the exact thresholds because shot volume and shot quality differ, but the logic carries over: higher is better, and small gaps matter. The difference between a .905 keeper and a .920 keeper across a full season is a pile of goals and, usually, a pile of wins.
Statside computes save percentage automatically from your box-score or play-by-play entry, live from a phone. Log saves and goals against as the game happens and the rate stat updates itself, no calculator required. Qualified goalies also rank on your season leaderboards once they clear the minimum threshold.
Key takeaways
- Save percentage = saves divided by total shots on goal faced (saves plus goals against).
- Total shots faced is just saves plus goals against, because every shot on goal is either stopped or scored.
- Only shots on goal count. Misses and blocked shots never reach the keeper, so they never enter the math.
- Hockey and lacrosse write it as a decimal like .915; soccer often shows the same value as a percentage like 91.5%.
- In hockey, .900 is solid and .920+ is elite. The stat applies to any goal sport with a netminder: hockey, soccer, and lacrosse.
Frequently asked
How do you calculate save percentage?
Divide saves by total shots on goal faced. Total shots faced equals saves plus goals against, so the formula is Saves ÷ (Saves + Goals Against). A goalie with 27 saves and 3 goals against faced 30 shots: 27 ÷ 30 = .900.
What is a good save percentage?
In hockey, .900 is a solid night and .920 or higher is elite. Below .880 the goalie is allowing more than shot quality alone would explain. Soccer and lacrosse use different exact thresholds, but higher is always better.
Why is hockey save percentage written as a decimal like .915?
It is a convention. Hockey and lacrosse report the stop rate as a three-digit decimal, spoken "nine fifteen." Soccer more often shows the same value as a percentage, 91.5%. Move the decimal two places to switch formats. The value is identical.
Do blocked shots and missed shots count against save percentage?
No. Only shots on goal count, meaning shots that reached the net and were either saved or scored. Shots that miss the net or get blocked by a defender never reach the keeper, so they never enter the calculation.