Goal differential measures the difference between the number of goals an NHL team scores and the number it allows. It does not include the extra goal added to a final score when a team wins the shootout.
Quick Summary
It is one of the simplest ways to summarize whether a team is generally outscoring or being outscored by its opponents.
Daily Rink Form uses goal differential across multiple timeframes, including season-to-date, last 5, last 10 and last 20 games. It can also be separated into overall, home and road performance.
Goal differential is calculated as:
- Goals for minus goals against
If a team scores more goals than it allows, the result is positive. If it allows more goals than it scores, the result is negative. If goals for and goals against are equal, the differential is zero.
Total goal differential
Total goal differential uses the full number of goals scored and allowed across the selected sample.
The formula is:
- Total goals for minus total goals against
This is the standard cumulative version of the metric. It is particularly useful when comparing teams across equal numbers of games.
Goal differential per game
Goal differential per game adjusts the total differential for the number of games played.
It is calculated as:
- Goal differential divided by games played
This is useful when teams have played different numbers of games or when comparing rolling windows of different lengths.
A last-5 total and a last-20 total are not directly comparable. Per-game values provide a more useful comparison.
Last 5, last 10 and last 20 goal differentials
Last 5 can be useful for identifying very recent changes, but it should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample.
As a more substantial sample size, last 10 may serve as one of the primary recent-form measures on Daily Rink Form.
Later in the season, comparing last 20 with season-to-date goal differential can help show whether a team’s recent scoring margin differs from its longer-term level.
Rolling goal differential
Rolling goal differential updates after each completed game.
When a new game enters a fixed-size window, the oldest qualifying game drops out. This creates a continuously changing measure of recent scoring performance.
Home and road goal differential
Home or road goal differential includes only games played at the relevant venue.
A last-5 home differential uses the team’s five most recent home games, not its five most recent games overall.
Likewise, a last-5 road differential uses only the team’s five most recent road games.
Goal differential and shootouts
The extra goal added to a team’s score for a shootout win is not counted in rolling goal differential calculations, as it wasn’t scored during the usual regulation or overtime play.
This means a team’s total goals and the goal totals on this site won’t always align.
Goal differential and empty-net goals
Empty-net goals are included because they are part of the official final score and occurred during regular play.
Goal differential and special teams
Power-play and shorthanded goals are included in the standard differential.
The metric does not separate:
- Even-strength scoring
- Power-play scoring
- Shorthanded scoring
A team with a strong differential may be benefiting from excellent special teams. If special-teams splits are added later, they should be displayed separately.
Incomplete rolling windows
Before a team has completed the required number of games, the rolling windows will be incomplete. Neither games from the previous season nor preseason games are used.
If partial windows are displayed, they should be labelled clearly.
Official scoring corrections
If the official final score or game record is corrected, the underlying data should be updated.
A correction can affect:
- Season goal differential
- Rolling goal differential
- Home or road splits
- Schedule-condition splits
- League rankings