Arena scorer bias · Pittsburgh Penguins
PPG Paints Arena: how its scorers counted hits
In 2023-24 the PPG Paints Arena crew credited 4% fewer hits than Penguins road games (raw), ranking 18 of 32 after shrinkage (0.97). With central recording, the 2025-26 factor is 1.00: in that season the building did not change the count.
PPG Paints Arena: hits and blocks factor by season
Solid = shrunk factor we use, dashed = raw home ÷ road ratio; 1.00 = neutral
PPG Paints Arena hits factor by season (shrunk): 2017-18 1.17, 2018-19 1.33, 2019-20 1.31, 2020-21 1.33, 2021-22 1.21, 2022-23 1.39, 2023-24 0.97, 2024-25 1.01, 2025-26 1.00.
- Hits (shrunk)
- Hits (raw)
- Blocks (shrunk)
Every stat, every season
| Season | Hits | Blocked shots | Giveaways | Takeaways | Missed shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1.00 (0.95) | 1.00 (1.04) | 1.00 (0.99) | 1.00 (1.04) | 1.01 (1.03) |
| 2024-25 | 1.01 (1.02) | 1.01 (1.06) | 1.00 (1.08) | 1.00 (0.92) | 1.01 (1.02) |
| 2023-24 | 0.97 (0.96) | 1.02 (1.10) | 0.85 (0.83) | 1.07 (1.11) | 1.05 (1.09) |
| 2022-23 | 1.39 (1.52) | 1.07 (1.13) | 0.93 (0.89) | 1.10 (1.15) | 0.99 (0.98) |
| 2021-22 | 1.21 (1.33) | 0.97 (0.96) | 0.78 (0.70) | 1.07 (1.11) | 0.93 (0.90) |
| 2020-21 | 1.33 (1.49) | 0.99 (0.98) | 0.86 (0.78) | 1.10 (1.13) | 0.84 (0.76) |
| 2019-20 | 1.31 (1.41) | 0.95 (0.94) | 0.77 (0.73) | 1.00 (1.00) | 0.91 (0.82) |
| 2018-19 | 1.33 (1.42) | 0.99 (0.99) | 0.80 (0.77) | 0.84 (0.81) | 0.84 (0.78) |
| 2017-18 | 1.17 (1.22) | 1.01 (1.01) | 0.72 (0.67) | 0.95 (0.93) | 0.94 (0.91) |
Penguins hits and blocks in 2025-26
The Penguins have absorbed 21.2 hits per game (#11 in the league), delivered 17.6, and blocked 14.7 of the 57.9 shot attempts they face per game, over 82 games. Their own shots hit a teammate 1.5 times a game; the play-by-play logs those as blocked shots but nobody is credited. Opponents facing a team that absorbs many hits get a higher hit environment in Hits tonight.
Penguins hitters at home vs on the road, 2025-26
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. Central recording season: differences here are role and opponents, not the scorer. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor CliftonD | 50 | 180 | 180 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 1.05× | – |
| Parker WotherspoonD | 80 | 162 | 162 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 1.06× | – |
| Connor DewarC | 78 | 144 | 144 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 0.93× | – |
| Elmer SoderblomL | 59 | 99 | 99 | 11.0 | 7.6 | 1.38× | – |
| Kris LetangD | 74 | 95 | 95 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 0.83× | – |
| Justin BrazeauR | 64 | 90 | 90 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 1.05× | – |
| Rickard RakellR | 60 | 71 | 71 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 0.76× | – |
| Noel AcciariC | 67 | 65 | 65 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 0.91× | – |
| Sidney CrosbyC | 68 | 60 | 60 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 0.73× | – |
| Anthony ManthaR | 81 | 52 | 52 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 0.90× | – |
| Blake LizotteC | 55 | 49 | 49 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 0.67× | – |
| Egor ChinakhovR | 72 | 49 | 49 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.17× | – |
| Jack St. IvanyD | 20 | 48 | 48 | 9.8 | 7.9 | 1.19× | – |
| Ryan SheaD | 80 | 38 | 38 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.14× | – |
| Bryan RustR | 72 | 35 | 35 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.89× | – |
Penguins hitters at home vs on the road, 2023-24
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris LetangD | 82 | 137 | 138 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 1.06× | – |
| Noel AcciariC | 55 | 124 | 127 | 13.6 | 6.8 | 1.93× | – |
| Marcus PetterssonD | 82 | 121 | 121 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 0.72× | – |
| Rickard RakellR | 70 | 112 | 114 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 0.87× | – |
| Sidney CrosbyC | 82 | 101 | 101 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 1.04× | – |
| Jeff CarterC | 72 | 83 | 83 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 1.25× | – |
| Jansen HarkinsC | 45 | 74 | 73 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 1.05× | – |
| Ryan GravesD | 70 | 72 | 74 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 1.03× | – |
| John LudvigD | 33 | 72 | 70 | 10.0 | 11.9 | 0.81× | – |
| Lars EllerC | 82 | 55 | 55 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 0.74× | – |
| Reilly SmithR | 76 | 55 | 54 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 0.67× | – |
| Drew O'ConnorL | 79 | 53 | 53 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.17× | – |
| Michael BuntingL | 81 | 49 | 48 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.01× | – |
| Bryan RustR | 62 | 47 | 47 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.07× | – |
| Pierre-Olivier JosephD | 52 | 47 | 46 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 0.59× | – |
FAQ
Does PPG Paints Arena inflate hits?
In 2023-24, the last season with arena crews whose habits repeated, PPG Paints Arena credited 3% fewer hits than Pittsburgh Penguins road games after shrinkage. In 2025-26, with central recording, its factor is 1.00.
Should I adjust Pittsburgh Penguins players' hits for their arena?
Mainly for seasons up to 2023-24. After the NHL centralised event recording in 2024-25 the factors shrank to within about ±6%, and in 2025-26 they were 1.00 everywhere, so current hits need no adjustment. Use the adjusted hits leaderboard for older seasons.