Team situational stats

NHL Team Third-Period Goals

2025-26All situationsThrough 82 team games

Vegas Golden Knights leads NHL teams with a GF/GP of 1.32 in 2025-26, ahead of Carolina Hurricanes (1.28).

Updated Oct 21, 7:13 PM ET

Showing 2025-26 · 2026-27 becomes the default after ~10 games per team2026-27 so far →

Leaders: Third-Period Goals, 2025-26

1stVegas Golden Knights82 GP1.32
2ndCarolina Hurricanes82 GP1.28
3rdColorado Avalanche82 GP1.24
4thWashington Capitals82 GP1.24
5thBuffalo Sabres82 GP1.23
6thTampa Bay Lightning82 GP1.23
7thOttawa Senators82 GP1.21
8thFlorida Panthers82 GP1.20
9thUtah Mammoth82 GP1.20
10thAnaheim Ducks82 GP1.18

The full ranked table, with filters, follows.

What Third-Period Goals measures

Goals scored and allowed in the third period, per game, empty-net goals included. All 32 teams, regular season, with the number of games behind each figure. Goals for per game in the period, with goals against and the difference.

Year to year this split repeats at r = 0.30 (252 team-seasons, 2017-18 to 2025-26), against r = 0.60 for overall points %. That is weak: most of a team's number is luck and sample, and it drifts back toward average.

Third periods carry empty-net goals and score effects: teams protecting leads shoot less and give up more. That makes third-period rates depend on game state as much as on talent. In 2025-26, 32 teams qualify for this board; the median is 1.12 and Vegas Golden Knights leads at 1.32.

Third-Period Goals leaderboard

Season2026-27 2025-26 2024-25 2023-24

Older seasons

2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 2017-18

Year to year this split repeats at r = 0.30 (252 team-seasons, 2017-18 to 2025-26), against r = 0.60 for overall points %. That is weak: most of a team's number is luck and sample, and it drifts back toward average.
The Home, Away and Last 10 columns (where shown) count only those games, so each holds a fraction of the season sample: a split of a few games is noise, not a trend.
Period and early-goal rates over a short window are mostly noise: ten games hold about 30 goals for and against per period. Read them over a season, and next to the team's overall goal rates.

NHL Team Third-Period Goals, 2025-26, All situations
#	Team	GF/GP	GP	GA/GP	Home	Away	Last 10	Diff/GP	Scored in %	Allowed in %	GF	GA	Pctl
1	Vegas Golden Knights	1.32	82	0.74	1.39	1.24	1.70	+0.57	74.4%	50.0%	108	61	100
2	Carolina Hurricanes	1.28	82	1.09	1.41	1.15	1.20	+0.20	68.3%	67.1%	105	89	97
3	Colorado Avalanche	1.24	82	0.72	1.20	1.29	1.20	+0.52	75.6%	50.0%	102	59	92
4	Washington Capitals	1.24	82	1.09	1.41	1.07	1.60	+0.16	78.0%	63.4%	102	89	92
5	Buffalo Sabres	1.23	82	1.01	1.17	1.29	1.60	+0.22	69.5%	56.1%	101	83	85
6	Tampa Bay Lightning	1.23	82	0.98	1.12	1.34	1.20	+0.26	74.4%	59.8%	101	80	85
7	Ottawa Senators	1.21	82	1.00	1.44	0.98	1.90	+0.21	67.1%	68.3%	99	82	81
8	Florida Panthers	1.20	82	1.30	1.22	1.17	1.30	−0.11	69.5%	73.2%	98	107	76
9	Utah Mammoth	1.20	82	1.01	1.12	1.27	1.60	+0.18	68.3%	64.6%	98	83	76
10	Anaheim Ducks	1.18	82	1.24	1.27	1.10	1.40	−0.06	70.7%	75.6%	97	102	69
11	Toronto Maple Leafs	1.18	82	1.26	1.24	1.12	1.10	−0.07	75.6%	75.6%	97	103	69
12	Boston Bruins	1.17	82	1.10	1.17	1.17	1.30	+0.07	68.3%	67.1%	96	90	61
13	Montreal Canadiens	1.17	82	1.04	1.12	1.22	0.80	+0.13	63.4%	70.7%	96	85	61
14	Pittsburgh Penguins	1.17	82	1.16	1.15	1.20	1.10	+0.01	72.0%	67.1%	96	95	61
15	Dallas Stars	1.16	82	1.04	1.12	1.20	1.20	+0.12	72.0%	63.4%	95	85	55
16	Minnesota Wild	1.12	82	1.10	1.17	1.07	1.10	+0.02	67.1%	65.9%	92	90	52
17	Edmonton Oilers	1.11	82	1.11	1.17	1.05	0.70	0.00	69.5%	68.3%	91	91	48
18	Detroit Red Wings	1.09	82	1.22	1.15	1.02	1.50	−0.13	68.3%	69.5%	89	100	45
19	Nashville Predators	1.07	82	1.13	0.95	1.20	1.10	−0.06	70.7%	74.4%	88	93	42
20	New York Rangers	1.02	82	1.02	0.98	1.07	1.20	0.00	56.1%	65.9%	84	84	37
21	Seattle Kraken	1.02	82	1.13	1.12	0.93	0.90	−0.11	57.3%	69.5%	84	93	37
22	New Jersey Devils	1.00	82	1.07	1.02	0.98	1.20	−0.07	61.0%	70.7%	82	88	31
23	Philadelphia Flyers	1.00	82	0.80	0.88	1.12	0.90	+0.20	68.3%	52.4%	82	66	31
24	Los Angeles Kings	0.93	82	1.05	0.98	0.88	0.80	−0.12	63.4%	64.6%	76	86	26
25	Chicago Blackhawks	0.91	82	1.18	0.83	1.00	1.20	−0.27	59.8%	69.5%	75	97	19
26	San Jose Sharks	0.91	82	1.24	0.88	0.95	1.10	−0.33	63.4%	73.2%	75	102	19
27	St. Louis Blues	0.91	82	0.84	0.98	0.85	1.30	+0.07	64.6%	63.4%	75	69	19
28	Columbus Blue Jackets	0.88	82	1.26	0.85	0.90	0.40	−0.38	61.0%	73.2%	72	103	13
29	New York Islanders	0.85	82	1.00	0.85	0.85	0.60	−0.15	61.0%	61.0%	70	82	6
30	Vancouver Canucks	0.85	82	1.27	0.90	0.80	0.60	−0.41	54.9%	75.6%	70	104	6
31	Winnipeg Jets	0.85	82	1.20	0.85	0.85	1.00	−0.34	61.0%	76.8%	70	98	6
32	Calgary Flames	0.84	82	1.17	0.90	0.78	0.90	−0.33	61.0%	69.5%	69	96	0