Empty-Net Lab
NHL Empty-Net Goals & Goalie Pull Tracker 2020-21
When does each coach pull the goalie, how often does the extra attacker score, and who is on the ice for it at both ends? Every number comes from the NHL shift charts, so a pull is timed to the second and delayed-penalty pulls are left out.
When NHL teams pull the goalie, 2020-21
Share of trailing teams with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When NHL teams pull the goalie, 2020-21. Down 1: half pulled by 1:47 remaining, 30% pulled with 2:00 left (500 trailing spells); Down 2: half pulled by 2:46 remaining, 85% pulled with 2:00 left (471 trailing spells).
Goalie pulls and empty-net goals by team, 2020-21
| Team | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | 2:08 (13) | 50% | 3:23 (12) | 15:42 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2:05 (19) | 56% | 3:42 (17) | 28:30 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Minnesota Wild | 2:03 (13) | 57% | 2:57 (10) | 19:04 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 4 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 2:01 (15) | 55% | 3:07 (9) | 18:16 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 7 |
| New York Rangers | 2:01 (15) | 50% | 2:59 (13) | 27:13 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1:58 (14) | 33% | 3:49 (12) | 29:09 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 1:58 (19) | 45% | 2:20 (15) | 30:13 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 7 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 1:56 (21) | 49% | 2:35 (22) | 36:02 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 1:51 (16) | 33% | 2:26 (20) | 20:28 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1:50 (20) | 20% | 3:12 (18) | 22:46 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1:50 (15) | 10% | 1:49 (16) | 25:15 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 1:49 (23) | 33% | 2:49 (22) | 31:31 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 5 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1:49 (13) | 0% | 2:54 (12) | 20:04 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| Dallas Stars | 1:48 (17) | 35% | 2:53 (19) | 31:40 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Washington Capitals | 1:48 (12) | 39% | 2:19 (12) | 18:34 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 5 |
| New Jersey Devils | 1:47 (21) | 11% | 2:40 (25) | 39:50 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1:47 (12) | 0% | 2:39 (13) | 19:36 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 4 |
| Calgary Flames | 1:46 (20) | 23% | 3:06 (15) | 33:25 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| St. Louis Blues | 1:46 (16) | 37% | 3:19 (16) | 36:55 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 1:41 (15) | 11% | 3:00 (19) | 34:41 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1:40 (18) | 36% | 2:41 (11) | 18:44 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 1:39 (23) | 33% | 2:47 (15) | 30:39 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 1:39 (24) | 25% | 2:31 (19) | 39:56 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| Boston Bruins | 1:35 (20) | 10% | 2:45 (12) | 19:17 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1:35 (18) | 9% | 3:03 (18) | 30:15 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 4 |
| Nashville Predators | 1:33 (18) | 36% | 2:46 (22) | 23:28 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 1:28 (16) | 0% | 2:39 (12) | 20:31 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1:25 (10) | 17% | 3:30 (16) | 33:00 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 2 |
| Not ranked: fewer than 10 late one-goal deficits (team), most deficits first | ||||||||
| New York Islanders | 1:43 (9) | 33% | 2:32 (11) | 22:42 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1:58 (8) | 33% | 4:21 (8) | 15:26 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 1:58 (7) | 25% | 3:22 (10) | 28:38 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
Sorted by median pull time, earliest first, for teams with 10+ late one-goal deficits; smaller samples follow, unranked. In brackets: late deficits behind the median (trailing by one or two in the last 10:00); team-season samples are small (split-half r = 0.30), so treat gaps of 15-20 seconds as noise. "Pulled by 2:00" is the share of late one-goal deficits with the goalie out with 2:00 or more left. GF / ENG against: goals for and empty-net goals against while this team had its goalie pulled. ENG for / GA vs extra attacker: the same when the opponent pulled.
Goalie pull timing by coach, 2020-21
| Coach | Team | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Quenneville | Florida Panthers | 2:08 (13) | 50% | 3:23 (12) | 2 / 8 |
| Alain Vigneault | Philadelphia Flyers | 2:05 (19) | 56% | 3:42 (17) | 3 / 11 |
| Dean Evason | Minnesota Wild | 2:03 (13) | 57% | 2:57 (10) | 3 / 11 |
| David Quinn | New York Rangers | 2:01 (15) | 50% | 2:59 (13) | 0 / 10 |
| Rod Brind'Amour | Carolina Hurricanes | 2:01 (15) | 55% | 3:07 (9) | 1 / 11 |
| Paul Maurice | Winnipeg Jets | 1:58 (19) | 45% | 2:20 (15) | 3 / 15 |
| Sheldon Keefe | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1:58 (14) | 33% | 3:49 (12) | 1 / 8 |
| John Tortorella | Columbus Blue Jackets | 1:56 (21) | 49% | 2:35 (22) | 2 / 13 |
| Ralph Krueger | Buffalo Sabres | 1:56 (10) | 33% | 2:33 (11) | 0 / 7 |
| Darryl Sutter | Calgary Flames | 1:53 (13) | 29% | 3:06 (10) | 0 / 9 |
| Dominique Ducharme | Montreal Canadiens | 1:51 (15) | 25% | 3:20 (12) | 4 / 9 |
| Jeremy Colliton | Chicago Blackhawks | 1:51 (16) | 33% | 2:26 (20) | 1 / 9 |
| Bob Boughner | San Jose Sharks | 1:50 (15) | 10% | 1:49 (16) | 2 / 9 |
| Dave Tippett | Edmonton Oilers | 1:49 (13) | 0% | 2:54 (12) | 0 / 7 |
| Rick Tocchet | Arizona Coyotes | 1:49 (23) | 33% | 2:49 (22) | 2 / 16 |
| Peter Laviolette | Washington Capitals | 1:48 (12) | 39% | 2:19 (12) | 2 / 8 |
| Rick Bowness | Dallas Stars | 1:48 (17) | 35% | 2:53 (19) | 3 / 13 |
| Lindy Ruff | New Jersey Devils | 1:47 (21) | 11% | 2:40 (25) | 0 / 13 |
| Mike Sullivan | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1:47 (12) | 0% | 2:39 (13) | 1 / 8 |
| Craig Berube | St. Louis Blues | 1:46 (16) | 37% | 3:19 (16) | 3 / 14 |
| Travis Green | Vancouver Canucks | 1:41 (15) | 11% | 3:00 (19) | 3 / 9 |
| D.J. Smith | Ottawa Senators | 1:40 (18) | 36% | 2:41 (11) | 2 / 16 |
| Dallas Eakins | Anaheim Ducks | 1:39 (23) | 33% | 2:47 (15) | 1 / 15 |
| Don Granato | Buffalo Sabres | 1:39 (14) | 17% | 2:13 (8) | 1 / 6 |
| Bruce Cassidy | Boston Bruins | 1:35 (20) | 10% | 2:45 (12) | 2 / 10 |
| Todd McLellan | Los Angeles Kings | 1:35 (18) | 9% | 3:03 (18) | 0 / 12 |
| John Hynes | Nashville Predators | 1:33 (18) | 36% | 2:46 (22) | 1 / 11 |
| Peter DeBoer | Vegas Golden Knights | 1:28 (16) | 0% | 2:39 (12) | 2 / 10 |
| Jeff Blashill | Detroit Red Wings | 1:25 (10) | 17% | 3:30 (16) | 0 / 9 |
| Not ranked: fewer than 10 late one-goal deficits (coach), most deficits first | |||||
| Barry Trotz | New York Islanders | 1:43 (9) | 33% | 2:32 (11) | 0 / 7 |
| Jared Bednar | Colorado Avalanche | 1:58 (8) | 33% | 4:21 (8) | 0 / 6 |
| Jon Cooper | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1:58 (7) | 25% | 3:22 (10) | 0 / 5 |
| Claude Julien | Montreal Canadiens | 1:49 (5) | 0% | 1:15 (6) | 0 / 3 |
| Geoff Ward | Calgary Flames | 1:43 (5) | 20% | 3:47 (5) | 0 / 5 |
| Ryan Huska | Calgary Flames | 1:30 (2) | 0% | – (0) | 0 / 1 |
Head coach behind the bench in each game, from the NHL game center. Interim coaches get their own row. Coaches with fewer than 10 late one-goal deficits are listed after the ranked ones.
Who is on the ice: extra attacker and empty-net defense, 2020-21
Empty-net goals
- 1Brad MarchandBOS5 G, 1 A
- 2Vladislav NamestnikovDET5 G, 1 A
- 3Sidney CrosbyPIT4 G, 4 A
- 4Bryan RustPIT4 G, 2 A
- 5Jake GuentzelPIT4 G, 2 A
- 6Pavel BuchnevichNYR4 G, 2 A
- 7Sebastian AhoCAR3 G, 5 A
- 8Josh ArchibaldEDM3 G, 2 A
- 9Mikko RantanenCOL3 G, 2 A
- 10Andrew CoppWPG3 G, 1 A
Goals and assists into an empty net while the other team had really pulled its goalie.
Most 6-on-5 ice time
- 1Ryan O'ReillySTL33:53 · 92%
- 2David PerronSTL33:26 · 91%
- 3Quinn HughesVAN31:14 · 90%
- 4Victor OlofssonBUF30:52 · 77%
- 5J.T. MillerVAN30:44 · 89%
- 6Rasmus DahlinBUF30:32 · 76%
- 7Sam ReinhartBUF30:32 · 80%
- 8Bo HorvatVAN30:19 · 87%
- 9Torey KrugSTL30:08 · 84%
- 10Brayden SchennSTL29:49 · 81%
Time on the ice as the extra-attacker unit; % = share of his team's pulled time in games he dressed.
Most empty-net defense time
- 1John CarlsonWSH32:19 · 74%
- 2Kris LetangPIT26:16 · 74%
- 3Zdeno CharaWSH26:14 · 60%
- 4Jake MuzzinTOR25:53 · 69%
- 5MacKenzie WeegarFLA25:49 · 68%
- 6Brian DumoulinPIT25:29 · 76%
- 7Mitch MarnerTOR24:27 · 62%
- 8Justin HollTOR23:23 · 61%
- 9Darnell NurseEDM22:24 · 74%
- 10Adam LarssonEDM22:11 · 73%
Time on the ice protecting a lead against an empty net: the players a coach trusts to close, and who get the empty-net chances.
Extra-attacker points
- 1David PerronSTL1 G, 6 A
- 2Mike HoffmanSTL4 G, 2 A
- 3Claude GirouxPHI3 G, 1 A
- 4Anthony ManthaWSH/DET2 G, 2 A
- 5Jamie BennDAL1 G, 3 A
- 6Kevin FialaMIN1 G, 3 A
- 7Filip HronekDET0 G, 4 A
- 8Jakub VoracekPHI0 G, 4 A
- 9Jared SpurgeonMIN0 G, 4 A
- 10Brock BoeserVAN2 G, 1 A
Goals and assists with his own goalie pulled.
How we measure it
- We find every goalie pull in the 3rd period from the NHL shift charts: the stretches in which a trailing team had no goalie on the ice.
- Delayed-penalty pulls are removed. If the play-by-play shows a delayed penalty called on the other team as the goalie left, the time before the whistle does not count; a pull of 90 seconds or less that ends at a penalty on the other team with more than 5:00 left is treated the same way even when the delayed-penalty event is missing.
- Pull timing is measured as a survival curve (Kaplan-Meier). Every stretch in which a team trails by one (or two) enters the curve when it starts, or at 10:00 left if it started earlier, and leaves when the coach pulls the goalie or the score changes. "Median pull" is the time left at which half of teams in that spot have pulled. A deficit that starts with the goalie already out (he stayed on the bench through a goal) is left out of the curve: that pull was decided at the earlier score.
- That matters: averaging pull times only over the games that reached a pull favors late pulls, because a deficit that is erased early never shows one.
- Empty-net goals for and against are counted only while a goalie is really pulled, per 60 minutes of 6-on-5 (or 6-on-4) time. Rates need at least 10 minutes of pulled time before we show them.
- Player shares: a skater’s ice time in his team’s pulls, divided by the team’s total pulled time in the games he dressed. Empty-net defense is the same with the opponent pulling.
- Rankings of teams and coaches by pull time need at least 10 late one-goal deficits; smaller samples are listed after the ranked ones. Team pages cover the whole franchise (the Arizona Coyotes and Utah Hockey Club seasons are on the Utah Mammoth page).
- Coaches come from the NHL game center (head coach behind each bench). Seasons start in 2017-18, the first season of full shift data in our engine. Regular season only on these pages.
What repeats and what does not
- League trend: coaches pull earlier every year. The median pull down one moved from 1:40 left in 2017-18 to 2:00 in 2025-26, and down two from 2:30 to 3:23. Pulling down one ties the game about 14-16% of the time in every season.
- Team pull timing repeats, but only moderately. Splitting each team-season into odd and even games, the two halves’ median pull times correlate at r = 0.30 (284 team-seasons). Season to season it is r = 0.43 when the coach stays and 0.22 after a coaching change, which is why the coach tables matter. Read gaps of 15-20 seconds between teams as noise.
- Player roles are the stable part. A skater’s share of his team’s 6-on-5 time correlates r = 0.88 from one season to the next (same team, 2,683 pairs), and his share of empty-net defense time r = 0.75. Empty-net defense share tracks empty-net points (r = 0.47 within a season).
- Team empty-net goals per game do not repeat well (split-half r = 0.19): they depend on game states nobody controls. So we do not publish a nightly "empty-net goal odds" by team; the player shares are the signal to use.
FAQ
When do NHL coaches pull the goalie when down by one?
In 2020-21, half of NHL teams trailing by one had pulled their goalie with 1:47 left in the 3rd period, and 30% had pulled with 2:00 or more left (500 late one-goal deficits). Down by two, the median pull came with 2:46 left.
How often does pulling the goalie work?
With the goalie pulled, trailing teams scored 7.7 goals per 60 minutes and allowed 19.1 empty-net goals per 60 in 2020-21. Of 334 pulls while down one, 45 (13%) ended with the tying goal before the goalie went back in. An empty-net goal against usually just turns a one-goal loss into a two-goal loss; the tying goal turns a likely loss into at least a point.
Which NHL team pulls its goalie the earliest?
Among teams with at least 10 late one-goal deficits in 2020-21, the FLA pulled earliest (median 2:08 left) and the DET latest (median 1:25). Samples are small, so the team pages show each team's curve with the number of games behind it.
Who scores the most empty-net goals?
The skaters a coach sends out to protect a late lead: usually the top centers, shutdown forwards and top-pair defensemen. Their share of empty-net defense time is very stable from season to season (r = 0.75) and tracks empty-net points, so the empty-net defense board on this page is the best guide to who gets those goals.
Do empty-net goals count in fantasy hockey?
Yes. An empty-net goal counts as a goal and a point for the scorer and the assists in Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax, and a goal allowed into an empty net does not count against the goalie’s goals-against average or save percentage. The players a coach trusts to defend a late lead get the empty-net chances, which is why the empty-net defense shares on this page matter for goals and points.
Does an empty-net goal count against the goalie?
No. The goalie was not on the ice, so the goal is charged to the team but not to the goalie: it does not change his save percentage or goals-against average.