What is Goals per 60?

The average number of goals a player scores in every 60 minutes of ice time.

What this tells us

When you normalize a player's goals to a full hour of ice time, you're asking: how many goals would this player score if he played an entire game? A player with 0.8 G/60 scores roughly five goals in a full 60-minute game. This lets you compare a rookie who's played 10 games to a veteran who's played 70 — the rate tells you who's more dangerous, regardless of playing time.

Limitations

Goals per 60 is heavily influenced by opportunity and role. A first-line center playing on a high-powered offense will naturally post higher G/60 than a fourth-line grinder, even if both are skilled finishers. It also doesn't account for shot quality or luck — a player on a cold streak might have a lower G/60 than his underlying play deserves. That's why we also show expected goals per 60 (xG/60), which measures the quality of chances he's generating independent of whether they go in.

Example

A top-line forward typically posts G/60 between 0.6 and 1.0. A solid middle-six player lands around 0.4 to 0.6. A fourth-line role player might be closer to 0.2 to 0.3.