More skater stats
NHL Plus/Minus Leaders
2018-19All situationsThrough 82 team games
Mark Giordano (CGY) leads NHL skaters with 39 +/- in 2018-19, ahead of 
Ryan McDonagh (TBL) (38).
Leaders: Plus/Minus, 2018-19
- 1stMark GiordanoCGY · 78 GP39Share
- 2ndRyan McDonaghTBL · 82 GP38Share
3rdBrett PesceCAR · 73 GP35Share
4thMikael BacklundCGY · 77 GP34Share
5thBrian DumoulinPIT · 76 GP31Share
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Plus/Minus measures
This board ranks every NHL skater by plus/minus, regular season only. Pick any season back to 2017-18 above the table. Goals for minus goals against while on the ice (power-play goals for excluded).
Plus/minus is noisy and team-driven; on-ice goal and expected-goal shares at 5-on-5 tell you more about the player.
Plus/minus adds one for every even-strength or shorthanded goal the team scores with the player on the ice and subtracts one for every one allowed. Power-play goals for do not count; empty-net goals do. Plus/minus is still a category in many leagues but it mostly reflects team quality and goaltending. The per-60 view helps compare players with different minutes. In 2018-19, 906 skaters qualify for this board; the median is -1 and Mark Giordano leads at 39.
Plus/Minus leaderboard
| # | Player | Team | +/- | GP | Per game | PTS | G | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark GiordanoDCGY | CGY | 39 | 78 | 0.50 | 74 | 17 | 100 | — |
| 2 | Ryan McDonaghDTBL | TBL | 38 | 82 | 0.46 | 46 | 9 | 100 | 5.7%▼0.8 |
| 3 | Brett PesceDCAR | CAR | 35 | 73 | 0.48 | 29 | 7 | 100 | 0.3% |
| 4 | Mikael BacklundFCGY | CGY | 34 | 77 | 0.44 | 47 | 21 | 100 | 12% |
| 5 | Brian DumoulinDPIT | PIT | 31 | 76 | 0.41 | 23 | 3 | 100 | 0.1% |
| 6 |  Teuvo TeravainenFCAR | CAR | 30 | 82 | 0.37 | 76 | 21 | 99 | 12%▲0.9 |
| 7 |  Ron HainseyDTOR | TOR | 30 | 81 | 0.37 | 23 | 5 | 99 | — |
| 8 |  Elias LindholmFCGY | CGY | 30 | 81 | 0.37 | 78 | 27 | 99 | 43%▲1.9 |
| 9 |  TJ BrodieDCGY | CGY | 29 | 79 | 0.37 | 34 | 9 | 99 | — |
| 10 |  Nick BoninoFNSH | NSH | 27 | 81 | 0.33 | 35 | 17 | 99 | — |
| 11 |  Mattias EkholmDNSH | NSH | 27 | 80 | 0.34 | 44 | 8 | 99 | 68% |
| 12 |  Brayden PointFTBL | TBL | 27 | 79 | 0.34 | 92 | 41 | 99 | 92%▼1.7 |
| 13 |  Josh AndersonFCBJ | CBJ | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 47 | 27 | 99 | 22%▲11 |
| 14 |  Sebastian AhoFCAR | CAR | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 83 | 30 | 99 | 100% |
| 15 |  Anthony CirelliFTBL | TBL | 25 | 82 | 0.30 | 39 | 19 | 99 | 44%▼2.2 |
| 16 |  Erik CernakDTBL | TBL | 25 | 58 | 0.43 | 16 | 5 | 99 | 6.6%▲0.9 |
| 17 |  Nikita KucherovFTBL | TBL | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 128 | 41 | 98 | 100% |
| 18 |  Morgan RiellyDTOR | TOR | 24 | 82 | 0.29 | 72 | 20 | 98 | 73%▼2.9 |
| 19 |  Michal KempnyDWSH | WSH | 24 | 71 | 0.34 | 25 | 6 | 98 | — |
| 20 |  Victor HedmanDTBL | TBL | 24 | 70 | 0.34 | 54 | 12 | 98 | 84%▼1 |
| 21 |  Michael FrolikFCGY | CGY | 24 | 65 | 0.37 | 34 | 16 | 98 | — |
| 22 |  Patrice BergeronFBOS | BOS | 23 | 65 | 0.35 | 79 | 32 | 98 | — |
| 23 |  Alex KillornFTBL | TBL | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 40 | 18 | 97 | 5.1% |
| 24 |  Ryan O'ReillyFSTL | STL | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 77 | 28 | 97 | 83%▲2.3 |
| 25 |  Mitch MarnerFTOR | TOR | 22 | 82 | 0.27 | 94 | 26 | 97 | 99% |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Plus/Minus in 2018-19?
Mark Giordano leads with 39. The median of the 906 qualified skaters is -1.
Which defenseman leads in Plus/Minus in 2018-19?
Mark Giordano leads NHL defensemen with 39; the top forward is Mikael Backlund at 34.
How is Plus/Minus calculated?
Goals for minus goals against while on the ice (power-play goals for excluded). Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Plus/Minus?
Plus/minus is noisy and team-driven; on-ice goal and expected-goal shares at 5-on-5 tell you more about the player.