Hockey scoring rules: how to keep score in ice hockey

Ice hockey scoring at a glance

There are no bonus points and no conversions: a goal is the only way to score. The team score is simply each side's goals, written as a scoreline such as 4-2.

What counts as a goal in hockey?

Under NHL Rule 78, a goal counts when the whole puck crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. A puck sitting on the line, even mostly over it, is not a goal yet. The goal frame is 6 ft wide by 4 ft high (1.83 m by 1.22 m).

Some pucks that go in are still waved off. There is no goal if the puck is kicked in with a distinct kicking motion, or thrown or batted in with a hand. A puck that goes in off a defender counts for the attacking team as an own goal, credited to the last attacker who touched it.

One goal is given without the puck going in at all. If the other team has pulled its goaltender and a player on a clear breakaway is fouled from behind, the referee awards a goal instead of a penalty shot (NHL Rule 25).

How many periods are in a hockey game, and how long does it last?

Three periods of 20 minutes, which makes 60 minutes of playing time. The NHL, international (IIHF) and US college hockey all play it that way. It is stop time: the clock stops for every whistle, goal and penalty, and there is an intermission after the 1st and 2nd periods, so a game lasts far longer than 60 minutes of real time.

A tie adds more. A tied NHL regular-season game plays up to 5 more minutes of overtime and may go to a shootout, while a tied playoff game adds full 20-minute periods until someone scores. Teams change ends for each period, and the score carries over: a new period never resets it.

Youth and high school games use shorter periods, and some rec leagues run the clock without stopping. See how long a youth hockey game is for period lengths by age.

How do you keep a running score in hockey?

Write down each goal when it happens: the period, the time, the team and the new score. Scorekeepers also note the scorer and up to two assists, but only the goal moves the score. Here is a sample game kept that way, with a power-play goal, an own goal, a penalty-shot goal and an empty-net goal:

Then total each team's goals by period, the line score. It is a free check on your running score, because the periods must add up to the final:

The game was 1-1 after the 1st period, the Hawks led 3-2 after the 2nd, and they won 5-3 in regulation, so no overtime was needed.

What happens if a hockey game is tied?

In the NHL regular season, a tie after 60 minutes goes to 5 minutes, 3-on-3, sudden death, and a shootout decides it if nobody scores. The Stanley Cup playoffs have no shootout: teams keep playing overtime until someone scores. College, international and youth hockey each do it differently, and hockey overtime rules covers every level.

Standings points are a separate count from goals. In the NHL a team that loses in overtime or a shootout still earns a point, so an overtime game is worth more points in total than one settled in regulation. The overtime rules page compares the NHL and IIHF points systems.

Do assists count toward the score?

No. Assists are player statistics. Each goal can carry up to two assists, credited to the teammates who played the puck just before it (NHL Rule 78). A player's points are goals plus assists, 1 each, so a goal and an assist make 2 points for the player but still only 1 goal for the team. Three goals by one player in a game is a hat trick.

Do penalties change the score?

Not directly, but they change who is likely to score. A penalized player sits in the penalty box and, for most penalties, the team plays a skater short while the other team is on the power play.

Is field hockey scored the same way?

The unit is the same: every goal is worth 1. The differences are in the details. A field hockey goal only counts if an attacker played the ball inside the shooting circle and it stayed in the circle until it crossed the line, matches are 4 quarters of 15 minutes, and a draw is a normal result. See field hockey scoring.