Timely Goal Scoring in Hockey History

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I've always been interested in timely goal scoring as a topic. Do some players tend to score more in close games and others in blowouts? Some players have had reputations in this area but as far as I know the numbers have never been presented. Well, here they are, for goal scoring going back to 1952-53.

I ran the numbers for the top 50 goal scorers from 1952-53 to 2015-16. Each goal was assigned to one of 6 categories.

Blowout Loss Goal: The goal was scored while the player's team was losing by 4 or more goals.
Rally Goal: The goal was scored while the player's team was losing by 2 or 3 goals.
Tying Goal: The goal was scored while the player's team was down by 1, tying the score of the game.
Go-Ahead Goal: The goal was scored while the game was tied, putting the player's team ahead by 1.
Insurance Goal: The goal was scored while the player's team was leading by 1 or 2 goals.
Blowout Win Goal: The goal was scored while the player's team was leading by 3 or more, putting them in the lead by at least 4 goals.

Era differences clearly have an effect on these numbers. A lead of any given size was less valuable in a higher scoring era than it was in a lower scoring era. I haven't changed the definitions by era, but I have calculated team and era adjusted numbers. The adjusted numbers are relative to the player's own goal scoring results - so a negative number doesn't mean they were a bad goal scorer, but it does mean they were less likely to score in these situations than in other situations.

The raw numbers have value in themselves, but it's also interesting to identify which players got their numbers simply because of their team and era situations, and which players appear to have had other factors in play.

The results will follow in subsequent posts.

The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:

http://hsp.flyershistory.com or http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/

Click to read more...

 

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Blowout Loss Goals

Blowout loss goals (defined as goals scored while the players team is losing by 4 or more) occupy a relatively small percentage of goals scored in NHL games. Mark Recchi was the leader in this area among the 50 top goal scorers, leading in the raw numbers and also scoring more than expected in this situation.

Marcel Dionne was often criticized for scoring “meaningless†goals, and he was second in this area – but that was mostly because he played on bad teams that tended to score goals while losing by 4 or more. He actually scored fewer than we would have expected if he scored at the same rate as his team in all situations.

I suspect that some other players would appear on this list if I went beyond the top 50 goal scorers – possibly bad team scorers from the 70s and 80s like Rick Kehoe.

Rk | Player | Goals | VsExpected
1 | Mark Recchi | 28 | 11
2 | Marcel Dionne | 27 | -6
3 | Mario Lemieux | 27 | 0
4 | Dale Hawerchuk | 22 | -1
5 | Joe Mullen | 22 | 6
6 | Pat Verbeek | 22 | 0
7 | Brett Hull | 21 | 5
8 | Wayne Gretzky | 20 | -3
9 | Mike Gartner | 18 | -2
10 | Ron Francis | 18 | -1
46 | Bryan Trottier | 7 | -3
47 | Glenn Anderson | 6 | -5
48 | Gilbert Perreault | 5 | -8
49 | Patrick Marleau | 5 | -1
50 | Jean Beliveau | 4 | -3

 

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Rally Goals

Rally Goals are defined as goals scored while the player’s team is losing by 2 or 3. Not the highest leverage situations, but the game may still be in play.

Marcel Dionne leads this category, but as with the blowout loss goals, it’s because his team was often playing from behind.

Mike Gartner was a close second. While his era helped him out in this regard, he typically played on winning teams and he scored more goals while playing from behind than we would have expected.

Rk | Player | Goals | VsExpected
1 | Marcel Dionne | 109 | 0
2 | Mike Gartner | 105 | 18
3 | Wayne Gretzky | 95 | -15
4 | Dino Ciccarelli | 94 | 8
5 | Luc Robitaille | 94 | 2
6 | Jaromir Jagr | 93 | 4
7 | Steve Yzerman | 91 | 5
8 | Brett Hull | 88 | 4
9 | Mats Sundin | 88 | 15
10 | Mark Messier | 86 | 2
11 | Dave Andreychuk | 86 | 11
46 | Marian Hossa | 39 | -7
47 | Guy Lafleur | 38 | -9
48 | Sergei Fedorov | 38 | -11
49 | Glenn Anderson | 38 | -17
50 | Jean Beliveau | 36 | -2

 

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Tying Goals

Tying goals are simply goals scored which tie the game. (Note that this is measured at the time at which the goal is scored – the game may not end in a tie.) Obviously these are among the most important goals as they can lead to a 1 point swing in the standings.

It’s not surprising to see Wayne Gretzky at the top of this list, but Dave Andreychuk in a tie for first is a surprise. Unlike most of the 50 players here, Andreychuk is outside the Hall of Fame, but he scored as many tying goals as anyone in history. He’s also the all time leader in power play goals – if referees tend to award more power plays to trailing teams, that could explain Andreychuk’s presence on both lists.

Joe Sakic is a very strong third. Dale Hawerchuk also ranks surprisingly high in this category as the Ukranians make a good showing
.

Rk | Player | Goals | VsExpected
1 | Dave Andreychuk | 137 | 22
2 | Wayne Gretzky | 137 | -1
3 | Joe Sakic | 132 | 19
4 | Brett Hull | 127 | 2
5 | Jaromir Jagr | 124 | -2
6 | Teemu Selanne | 124 | -4
7 | Luc Robitaille | 118 | 4
8 | Steve Yzerman | 118 | 2
9 | Jarome Iginla | 116 | -2
10 | Dale Hawerchuk | 115 | 25
46 | Sergei Fedorov | 66 | -10
47 | Glenn Anderson | 66 | -9
48 | Jean Beliveau | 66 | -2
49 | Norm Ullman | 65 | -20
50 | Frank Mahovlich | 58 | -17

 

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Go-Ahead Goals

These goals are the most common type of goal scored, and are probably the most valuable along with Tying Goals as they can mean a 1 point swing in the standings. They are also scored when the score of the game is tied and neither team has an advantage, meaning score effect don’t come into play in any way.

Brett Hull is the all time leader in this category. As a pure goal scorer in a tied game, there was nobody better. His 1990-91 season is the all-time single season leader in this regard with 39 go-ahead goals. Jaromir Jagr is a close second in the career numbers and may yet pass Hull in this category.

It’s interesting to see Mark Messier above Wayne Gretzky in goals scored while the game is tied. Messier has a reputation for coming up big when it counts, and this is a point in his favour. Gretzky was a great goal scorer, but less so in tied games than in other situations.

I’m surprised to see both Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier in the bottom 5 in this category, with a relatively low percentage of goals scored with the game tied compared to what we would expect. The other Islanders must have been doing most of the scoring while the game was tied. (Edit - I fixed a calculation error with Trottier which moved him out of the bottom 5. Bossy's numbers still stand out here.)

Sergei Fedorov isn't in the top 10 for raw goals, but his 189 go-ahead goals was 31 more than we would expect if his scoring pattern matched his team's. This just supports his reputation as a player who came up big when it mattered most.

Rk | Player | Goals | VsExpected
1 | Brett Hull | 264 | 27
2 | Jaromir Jagr | 258 | 14
3 | Teemu Selanne | 232 | 3
4 | Mark Messier | 221 | 26
5 | Brendan Shanahan | 221 | 5
6 | Marcel Dionne | 215 | 6
7 | Wayne Gretzky | 213 | -24
8 | Joe Sakic | 210 | 10
9 | Jarome Iginla | 206 | -15
10 | Mario Lemieux | 205 | 11
46|Jean Ratelle|141|-2
47 | Mike Bossy | 139 | -25
48 | Jean Beliveau | 139 | -12
49 | Glenn Anderson | 136 | 2
50 | Lanny McDonald | 128 | -10

 

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Insurance Goals

These goals were scored with a 1 or 2 goal lead. Wayne Gretzky stands well above the pack here. As a goal scorer, Gretzky was a great front-runner, scoring against the run of play as opposing teams pressed to tie the game.

Rk | Player | Goals | VsExpected
1 | Wayne Gretzky | 295 | 29
2 | Phil Esposito | 244 | 13
3 | Teemu Selanne | 215 | 26
4 | Brendan Shanahan | 212 | 14
5 | Mike Gartner | 210 | 6
6 | Jaromir Jagr | 209 | -9
7 | Gordie Howe | 208 | 14
8 | Marcel Dionne | 207 | 14
9 | Steve Yzerman | 206 | 7
10 | Mario Lemieux | 202 | 10
46 | Norm Ullman | 136 | 1
47 | Joe Mullen | 131 | -14
48 | Dale Hawerchuk | 129 | -10
49 | Brian Bellows | 122 | -8
50 | Darryl Sittler | 113 | -18

 

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Blowout Win Goals

Most of the difference in raw totals can be attributed to era and team factors. The top 5 on this list all played on dominant teams in the 1970s and 1980s, and the bottom 5 all played all or most of their prime in the mid-90s or later when scoring was down.

Again the contrast between Gretzky and Messier as Gretzky tended to score more when his team was blowing out the opposition, while Messier scored less than expected in these situations.

Rk | Player | Blowout W Goals | Blowout W VsExpected
1 | Wayne Gretzky | 135 | 14
2 | Phil Esposito | 101 | -11
3 | Guy Lafleur | 99 | 3
4 | Mike Bossy | 84 | 3
5 | Jari Kurri | 73 | -7
6 | Mike Gartner | 71 | 5
7 | Mark Messier | 68 | -10
8 | Mario Lemieux | 66 | -2
9 | Jean Beliveau | 66 | -3
10 | Gilbert Perreault | 65 | 1
46 | Mats Sundin | 30 | -7
47 | Patrick Marleau | 27 | 3
48 | Keith Tkachuk | 27 | -9
49 | Jarome Iginla | 22 | -6
50 | Alex Ovechkin | 22 | -7

 

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Here's the big table with the numbers for all 50 players.

Rk | Player | Goals | Blowout L Goals | Rally Goals | Tying Goals | Go-Ahead Goals | Insurance Goals | Blowout W Goals | Blowout L VsExpected | Rally VsExpected | Tying VsExpected | Go-Ahead VsExpected | Insurance VsExpected | Blowout W VsExpected
1 | Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 20 | 95 | 137 | 213 | 295 | 135 | -3 | -15 | -1 | -24 | 29 | 14
2 | Jaromir Jagr | 753 | 9 | 93 | 124 | 258 | 209 | 60 | -6 | 4 | -2 | 14 | -9 | 0
3 | Brett Hull | 742 | 21 | 88 | 127 | 264 | 191 | 51 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 27 | -30 | -9
4 | Marcel Dionne | 729 | 27 | 109 | 109 | 215 | 207 | 62 | -6 | 0 | -13 | 6 | 14 | -1
5 | Phil Esposito | 717 | 17 | 52 | 109 | 194 | 244 | 101 | -2 | -13 | 14 | -1 | 13 | -11
6 | Mike Gartner | 707 | 18 | 105 | 112 | 191 | 210 | 71 | -2 | 18 | -3 | -23 | 6 | 5
7 | Mark Messier | 693 | 12 | 86 | 107 | 221 | 199 | 68 | -6 | 2 | -1 | 26 | -11 | -10
8 | Steve Yzerman | 691 | 17 | 91 | 118 | 200 | 206 | 59 | -3 | 5 | 2 | -3 | 7 | -8
9 | Mario Lemieux | 690 | 27 | 84 | 106 | 205 | 202 | 66 | 0 | -8 | -11 | 11 | 10 | -2
10 | Teemu Selanne | 686 | 10 | 74 | 124 | 232 | 215 | 31 | -6 | -15 | -4 | 3 | 26 | -4
11 | Luc Robitaille | 668 | 13 | 94 | 118 | 197 | 190 | 56 | -4 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 | -3
12 | Brendan Shanahan | 658 | 13 | 65 | 101 | 221 | 212 | 46 | -1 | -5 | -11 | 5 | 14 | -1
13 | Gordie Howe | 641 | 17 | 69 | 112 | 180 | 208 | 55 | -2 | -2 | 9 | -16 | 14 | -2
14 | Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 11 | 86 | 137 | 203 | 166 | 36 | -4 | 11 | 22 | -2 | -15 | -13
15 | Joe Sakic | 625 | 13 | 77 | 132 | 210 | 161 | 32 | -4 | -2 | 19 | 10 | -9 | -13
16 | Jarome Iginla | 613 | 9 | 73 | 116 | 206 | 187 | 22 | 0 | 1 | -2 | -15 | 21 | -6
17 | Bobby Hull | 611 | 8 | 56 | 98 | 186 | 199 | 63 | -3 | -4 | 10 | 2 | 2 | -8
18 | Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 17 | 94 | 88 | 176 | 184 | 50 | -1 | 8 | -11 | -2 | 13 | -6
19 | Jari Kurri | 589 | 13 | 63 | 96 | 151 | 193 | 73 | -1 | -4 | 9 | -8 | 11 | -7
20 | Mark Recchi | 577 | 28 | 74 | 102 | 171 | 170 | 32 | 11 | 1 | -2 | -11 | 11 | -10
21 | Mike Bossy | 574 | 11 | 61 | 89 | 139 | 190 | 84 | 1 | 7 | 7 | -25 | 9 | 3
22 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 566 | 7 | 57 | 93 | 185 | 166 | 58 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1
23 | Mike Modano | 565 | 11 | 58 | 106 | 191 | 161 | 38 | 1 | -7 | 8 | -3 | 0 | 1
24 | Mats Sundin | 563 | 12 | 88 | 103 | 170 | 160 | 30 | -2 | 15 | 3 | -13 | 4 | -7
25 | Guy Lafleur | 560 | 11 | 38 | 84 | 148 | 180 | 99 | 0 | -11 | 9 | -2 | 1 | 3
26 | Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 16 | 60 | 84 | 166 | 175 | 55 | -3 | -1 | 0 | 9 | 8 | -13
27 | Ron Francis | 550 | 18 | 66 | 105 | 165 | 143 | 53 | -1 | -8 | 9 | -9 | -5 | 14
28 | Michel Goulet | 548 | 16 | 74 | 88 | 167 | 154 | 49 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | -1 | -7
29 | Stan Mikita | 540 | 13 | 44 | 72 | 171 | 185 | 55 | 3 | -10 | -8 | 10 | 14 | -8
30 | Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 13 | 63 | 109 | 175 | 150 | 28 | -2 | -6 | 8 | -7 | 5 | 3
31 | Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 12 | 51 | 58 | 159 | 195 | 59 | 0 | -5 | -17 | 0 | 22 | 0
32 | Alex Ovechkin | 532 | 14 | 68 | 98 | 186 | 144 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -1 | -7
33 | Bryan Trottier | 524 | 7 | 53 | 71 | 144 | 188 | 61 | -3 | 1 | -6 | -6 | 26 | -13
34 | Pat Verbeek | 520 | 22 | 82 | 91 | 147 | 138 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 1 | -14 | 1 | 8
35 | Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 22 | 58 | 115 | 153 | 129 | 41 | -1 | -11 | 25 | -1 | -10 | -2
36 | Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 10 | 56 | 87 | 179 | 147 | 36 | -1 | -5 | -6 | 17 | -3 | -2
37 | Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 8 | 50 | 82 | 171 | 164 | 38 | -4 | -3 | -1 | -2 | 9 | 0
38 | Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 5 | 50 | 92 | 156 | 145 | 65 | -8 | -5 | 11 | 6 | -6 | 1
39 | Jean Beliveau | 502 | 4 | 36 | 66 | 139 | 191 | 66 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -12 | 22 | -3
40 | Peter Bondra | 502 | 8 | 54 | 101 | 155 | 141 | 43 | -2 | -10 | 9 | -9 | 3 | 9
41 | Joe Mullen | 502 | 22 | 56 | 89 | 154 | 131 | 50 | 6 | -4 | 7 | 10 | -14 | -5
42 | Lanny McDonald | 501 | 12 | 75 | 88 | 128 | 155 | 43 | -7 | 0 | 1 | -10 | 18 | -2
43 | Marian Hossa | 500 | 8 | 39 | 83 | 161 | 163 | 46 | 2 | -7 | -6 | -9 | 14 | 6
44 | Glenn Anderson | 497 | 6 | 38 | 66 | 136 | 188 | 63 | -5 | -17 | -9 | 2 | 32 | -3
45 | Jean Ratelle | 491 | 11 | 57 | 68 | 141 | 158 | 56 | -2 | 12 | -5 | -2 | 1 | -4
46 | Norm Ullman | 488 | 17 | 74 | 65 | 144 | 136 | 52 | 2 | 11 | -20 | -4 | 1 | 10
47 | Brian Bellows | 484 | 15 | 79 | 87 | 150 | 122 | 31 | -1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | -8 | -4
48 | Darryl Sittler | 484 | 17 | 69 | 85 | 152 | 113 | 48 | -3 | 0 | 4 | 15 | -18 | 3
49 | Sergei Fedorov | 483 | 10 | 38 | 66 | 189 | 143 | 37 | 2 | -9 | -10 | 31 | -6 | -8
50 | Patrick Marleau | 481 | 5 | 57 | 74 | 164 | 154 | 27 | -1 | 5 | -13 | 2 | 16 | -9

The goal totals are off by 1 or 2 for a couple of players, which is probably because of inconsistencies with the sources data.

 

[Doctor No]

Very interesting stuff!

This is something that I've always wanted to do with goaltenders, although the pieces I'd need (saves by situation) would be quite hard to come by.

 

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Single Season Leaders

Here are the single season leaders for the different categories.

I have to mention Brett Hull's 1990-91 season again. His 39 go-ahead goals from that season is more than 50% higher than the #2 season in this category! Hull's Hart trophy from this year appears to have been well deserved.

Blowout Loss Goals

Player | Season | Team | Blowout L Goals | Total Goals | Team B-L Goals | Vs Expected
Dale Hawerchuk | 1988-89 | WIN | 8 | 41 | 24 | 4.7
Mario Lemieux | 1984-85 | PIT | 6 | 85 | 24 | 2.3
Mario Lemieux | 1988-89 | PIT | 6 | 25 | 24 | 0.1
Mark Recchi | 1990-91 | PIT | 6 | 33 | 16 | 4.1
Mats Sundin | 1991-92 | QUE | 6 | 40 | 18 | 3.7
Pat Verbeek | 1985-86 | NJ | 6 | 43 | 22 | 4.2

Rally Goals

Player | Season | Team | Rally Goals | Total Goals | Team Rally Goals | Vs Expected
Teemu Selanne | 1992-93 | WIN | 16 | 76 | 60 | 1.8
Brett Hull | 1991-92 | STL | 13 | 70 | 38 | 3.5
Luc Robitaille | 1993-94 | LAK | 13 | 44 | 48 | 5.8
Luc Robitaille | 1987-88 | LAK | 13 | 53 | 64 | 2.3
Pat Verbeek | 1990-91 | HAR | 13 | 43 | 47 | 4.5
Mario Lemieux | 1988-89 | PIT | 12 | 85 | 45 | 1.0
Brett Hull | 1989-90 | STL | 12 | 72 | 40 | 2.2
Steve Yzerman | 1989-90 | DET | 12 | 62 | 62 | -1.3
Wayne Gretzky | 1982-83 | EDM | 12 | 71 | 57 | 2.5
Mike Bossy | 1985-86 | NYI | 12 | 61 | 43 | 4.0
Brian Bellows | 1987-88 | MINS | 12 | 40 | 57 | 2.6

Tying Goals

Player | Season | Team | Tying Goals | Total Goals | Team Tying Goals | Vs Expected
Dale Hawerchuk | 1986-87 | WIN | 16 | 47 | 50 | 7.6
Peter Bondra | 1997-98 | Washington | 15 | 52 | 51 | 2.9
Alex Ovechkin | 2015-16 | WSH | 15 | 51 | 52 | 4.4
Steve Yzerman | 1989-90 | DET | 14 | 62 | 59 | 1.3
Dale Hawerchuk | 1984-85 | WIN | 14 | 53 | 51 | 6.4
Mario Lemieux | 1986-87 | PIT | 14 | 54 | 67 | 1.8
Jeremy Roenick | 1992-93 | CHI | 14 | 50 | 49 | 5.2
Phil Esposito | 1970-71 | BOS | 14 | 76 | 45 | 5.4

Go Ahead Goals

Player | Season | Team | Go Ahead Goals | Total Goals | Team Go Ahead Goals | Vs Expected
Brett Hull | 1990-91 | STL | 39 | 86 | 108 | 9.0
Joe Sakic | 2000-01 | COL | 25 | 54 | 92 | 6.6
Alex Ovechkin | 2013-14 | WSH | 25 | 53 | 84 | 5.4
Wayne Gretzky | 1981-82 | EDM | 24 | 92 | 100 | 1.9
Wayne Gretzky | 1984-85 | EDM | 24 | 73 | 112 | 3.6
Brett Hull | 1991-92 | STL | 24 | 70 | 71 | 6.2
Brett Hull | 1993-94 | STL | 24 | 57 | 91 | 4.7
Brendan Shanahan | 1993-94 | STL | 24 | 51 | 91 | 6.7
Dino Ciccarelli | 1981-82 | MINS | 24 | 55 | 98 | 8.4
Phil Esposito | 1973-74 | BOS | 23 | 68 | 97 | 4.1
Teemu Selanne | 1997-98 | Anaheim | 23 | 52 | 63 | 7.0

Insurance Goals

Player | Season | Team | Insurance Goals | Total Goals | Team Insurance Goals | Vs Expected
Mario Lemieux | 1992-93 | PIT | 32 | 69 | 136 | 6.4
Mike Bossy | 1980-81 | NYI | 31 | 68 | 122 | 7.6
Wayne Gretzky | 1986-87 | EDM | 31 | 62 | 128 | 9.7
Wayne Gretzky | 1981-82 | EDM | 30 | 92 | 140 | -0.9
Wayne Gretzky | 1983-84 | EDM | 30 | 87 | 143 | 2.1
Mike Bossy | 1981-82 | NYI | 30 | 64 | 128 | 8.7
Phil Esposito | 1971-72 | BOS | 28 | 66 | 114 | 5.2
Jari Kurri | 1984-85 | EDM | 27 | 71 | 129 | 4.2
Mike Bossy | 1978-79 | NYI | 27 | 69 | 119 | 4.1
Mario Lemieux | 1987-88 | PIT | 24 | 70 | 89 | 4.5

Blowout Win Goals

Player | Season | Team | Blowout W Goals | Total Goals | Team B-W Goals | Vs Expected
Wayne Gretzky | 1983-84 | EDM | 24 | 87 | 93 | 5.9
Wayne Gretzky | 1981-82 | EDM | 18 | 92 | 75 | 1.5
Phil Esposito | 1970-71 | BOS | 17 | 76 | 97 | -1.5
Guy Lafleur | 1977-78 | MON | 16 | 60 | 70 | 4.3
Phil Esposito | 1972-73 | BOS | 14 | 55 | 53 | 5.2
Phil Esposito | 1974-75 | BOS | 14 | 61 | 78 | 0.2
Wayne Gretzky | 1984-85 | EDM | 14 | 73 | 56 | 3.8

 

[ResilientBeast]

Unless I'm missing something Ovechkin looks pretty good by this

 

[542365]

Really impressed by this work. Thank you for sharing!

 

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Game-Changing Goals

Here's another way to slice the data posted above. I've added the numbers for Tying Goals and Go-Ahead Goals and called them Game-Changing Goals - because they change the game from a tied state to one team having the advantage, or vice versa.

Here are all 50 players, sorted by Game-Changing Goals.

Brett Hull, Jaromir Jagr, and Teemu Selanne all move ahead of Wayne Gretzky on the all-time leaders when looking only at Game-Changing Goals. Something to keep in mind when discussing the top goal-scorers of all time.

Joe Sakic, Dave Andreychuk, and Mark Messier also had very impressive totals in Game-Changing Goals.

Rk | Player | Goals | Game-Changing Goals | Other Goals | G-C VsExpected | Other VsExpected
1 | Brett Hull | 742 | 391 | 351 | 29 | -29
2 | Jaromir Jagr | 753 | 382 | 371 | 12 | -12
3 | Teemu Selanne | 686 | 356 | 330 | -1 | 1
4 | Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 350 | 545 | -25 | 25
5 | Joe Sakic | 625 | 342 | 283 | 28 | -28
6 | Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 340 | 299 | 21 | -21
7 | Mark Messier | 693 | 328 | 365 | 25 | -25
8 | Marcel Dionne | 729 | 324 | 405 | -7 | 7
9 | Brendan Shanahan | 658 | 322 | 336 | -6 | 6
10 | Jarome Iginla | 613 | 322 | 291 | -16 | 16
11 | Steve Yzerman | 691 | 318 | 373 | -1 | 1
12 | Luc Robitaille | 668 | 315 | 353 | 2 | -2
13 | Mario Lemieux | 690 | 311 | 379 | 0 | 0
14 | Phil Esposito | 717 | 303 | 414 | 13 | -13
15 | Mike Gartner | 707 | 303 | 404 | -26 | 26
16 | Mike Modano | 565 | 297 | 268 | 6 | -6
17 | Gordie Howe | 641 | 292 | 349 | -8 | 8
18 | Bobby Hull | 578 | 284 | 326 | 11 | -12
19 | Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 284 | 254 | 0 | 0
20 | Alex Ovechkin | 532 | 284 | 248 | 2 | -2
21 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 566 | 278 | 288 | 3 | -3
22 | Mark Recchi | 577 | 273 | 304 | -13 | 13
23 | Mats Sundin | 563 | 273 | 290 | -10 | 10
24 | Ron Francis | 550 | 270 | 280 | 0 | 0
25 | Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 268 | 250 | 23 | -23
26 | Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 266 | 249 | 11 | -11
27 | Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 264 | 345 | -14 | 14
28 | Peter Bondra | 502 | 256 | 246 | 0 | 0
29 | Michel Goulet | 548 | 255 | 293 | 11 | -11
30 | Sergei Fedorov | 483 | 255 | 228 | 21 | -21
31 | Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 253 | 260 | -2 | 2
32 | Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 250 | 306 | 9 | -9
33 | Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 248 | 265 | 17 | -17
34 | Jari Kurri | 589 | 247 | 342 | 1 | -1
35 | Marian Hossa | 500 | 244 | 256 | -15 | 15
36 | Stan Mikita | 540 | 243 | 297 | 1 | -1
37 | Joe Mullen | 502 | 243 | 259 | 17 | -17
38 | Pat Verbeek | 520 | 238 | 282 | -13 | 13
39 | Patrick Marleau | 481 | 238 | 243 | -11 | 11
40 | Darryl Sittler | 484 | 237 | 247 | 19 | -19
41 | Brian Bellows | 484 | 237 | 247 | 12 | -12
42 | Guy Lafleur | 560 | 232 | 328 | 7 | -7
43 | Mike Bossy | 574 | 228 | 346 | -19 | 19
44 | Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 217 | 317 | -16 | 16
45 | Lanny McDonald | 501 | 216 | 285 | -9 | 9
46 | Bryan Trottier | 524 | 215 | 309 | -12 | 12
47 | Jean Ratelle | 491 | 209 | 282 | -7 | 7
48 | Norm Ullman | 488 | 209 | 279 | -24 | 24
49 | Jean Beliveau | 502 | 205 | 297 | -14 | 14
50 | Glenn Anderson | 497 | 202 | 295 | -8 | 8

 

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Goals scored while Trailing, Tied, and Leading

And one more way to separate the data. This simply separates all goals into goals scored while trailing, goals scored while tied, and goals scored while leading.

Goals (Trailing) includes Blowout L Goals, Rally Goals, and Tying Goals. Goals (Tied) is simply Go-Ahead Goals re-named, and Goals (Leading) includes Insurance Goals and Blowout W Goals.

Rk | Player | Goals | Goals (Trailing) | Goals (Tied) | Goals (Leading) | (Trailing) VsExpected | Goals (Tied) VsExpected | Goals (Leading) VsExpected
1 | Brett Hull | 742 | 236 | 264 | 242 | 12 | 27 | -39
2 | Jaromir Jagr | 753 | 226 | 258 | 269 | -4 | 14 | -10
3 | Teemu Selanne | 686 | 208 | 232 | 246 | -25 | 3 | 23
4 | Brendan Shanahan | 658 | 179 | 221 | 258 | -18 | 5 | 13
5 | Mark Messier | 693 | 205 | 221 | 267 | -5 | 26 | -21
6 | Marcel Dionne | 729 | 245 | 215 | 269 | -19 | 6 | 12
7 | Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 252 | 213 | 430 | -19 | -24 | 43
8 | Joe Sakic | 625 | 222 | 210 | 193 | 12 | 10 | -22
9 | Jarome Iginla | 613 | 198 | 206 | 209 | -1 | -15 | 15
10 | Mario Lemieux | 690 | 217 | 205 | 268 | -19 | 11 | 8
11 | Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 234 | 203 | 202 | 30 | -2 | -28
12 | Steve Yzerman | 691 | 226 | 200 | 265 | 4 | -3 | -1
13 | Luc Robitaille | 668 | 225 | 197 | 246 | 2 | -2 | 0
14 | Phil Esposito | 717 | 178 | 194 | 345 | -1 | -1 | 2
15 | Mike Gartner | 707 | 235 | 191 | 281 | 13 | -23 | 10
16 | Mike Modano | 565 | 175 | 191 | 199 | 3 | -3 | 0
17 | Sergei Fedorov | 483 | 114 | 189 | 180 | -17 | 31 | -14
18 | Bobby Hull | 578 | 162 | 186 | 262 | 3 | 2 | -5
19 | Alex Ovechkin | 532 | 180 | 186 | 166 | 5 | 3 | -8
20 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 566 | 157 | 185 | 224 | -1 | 2 | -1
21 | Gordie Howe | 641 | 198 | 180 | 263 | 4 | -16 | 12
22 | Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 153 | 179 | 183 | -11 | 17 | -5
23 | Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 199 | 176 | 234 | -5 | -2 | 7
24 | Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 185 | 175 | 178 | 0 | -7 | 8
25 | Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 140 | 171 | 202 | -7 | -2 | 9
26 | Stan Mikita | 540 | 129 | 171 | 240 | -16 | 10 | 6
27 | Mark Recchi | 577 | 204 | 171 | 202 | 10 | -11 | 1
28 | Mats Sundin | 563 | 203 | 170 | 190 | 16 | -13 | -3
29 | Michel Goulet | 548 | 178 | 167 | 203 | -1 | 9 | -8
30 | Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 160 | 166 | 230 | -4 | 9 | -5
31 | Ron Francis | 550 | 189 | 165 | 196 | 0 | -9 | 9
32 | Patrick Marleau | 481 | 136 | 164 | 181 | -9 | 2 | 7
33 | Marian Hossa | 500 | 130 | 161 | 209 | -11 | -9 | 21
34 | Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 121 | 159 | 254 | -22 | 0 | 22
35 | Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 147 | 156 | 210 | -2 | 6 | -5
36 | Peter Bondra | 502 | 163 | 155 | 184 | -3 | -9 | 12
37 | Joe Mullen | 502 | 167 | 154 | 181 | 8 | 10 | -19
38 | Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 195 | 153 | 170 | 14 | -1 | -12
39 | Darryl Sittler | 484 | 171 | 152 | 161 | 1 | 15 | -16
40 | Jari Kurri | 589 | 172 | 151 | 266 | 4 | -8 | 4
41 | Brian Bellows | 484 | 181 | 150 | 153 | 2 | 9 | -11
42 | Guy Lafleur | 560 | 133 | 148 | 279 | -2 | -2 | 4
43 | Pat Verbeek | 520 | 195 | 147 | 178 | 5 | -14 | 9
44 | Bryan Trottier | 524 | 131 | 144 | 249 | -8 | -6 | 14
45 | Norm Ullman | 488 | 156 | 144 | 188 | -7 | -4 | 11
46 | Jean Ratelle | 491 | 136 | 141 | 214 | 5 | -2 | -3
47 | Jean Beliveau | 502 | 106 | 139 | 257 | -7 | -12 | 19
48 | Mike Bossy | 574 | 161 | 139 | 274 | 14 | -25 | 11
49 | Glenn Anderson | 497 | 110 | 136 | 251 | -31 | 2 | 30
50 | Lanny McDonald | 501 | 175 | 128 | 198 | -6 | -10 | 16

More Likely to Score While Trailing

Rk | Player | Goals (Trailing) | (Trailing) VsExpected
Rk | Player | Goals (Trailing) | (Trailing) VsExpected
1 | Dave Andreychuk | 234 | 30
2 | Mats Sundin | 203 | 16
3 | Mike Bossy | 161 | 14
4 | Dale Hawerchuk | 195 | 14
5 | Mike Gartner | 235 | 13
6 | Joe Sakic | 222 | 12
7 | Brett Hull | 236 | 12
8 | Mark Recchi | 204 | 10
9 | Joe Mullen | 167 | 8
10 | Alex Ovechkin | 180 | 5
46 | Wayne Gretzky | 252 | -19
47 | Mario Lemieux | 217 | -19
48 | Frank Mahovlich | 121 | -22
49 | Teemu Selanne | 208 | -25
50 | Glenn Anderson | 110 | -31

These were the 10 players who scored more often than expected while their teams were trailing, as well as the 5 who scored less than expectedAs I mentioned above, I suspect Dave Andreychuk's numbers here are because he was so dependent on the power play to score and referees may be more likely to award power plays to trailing teams.

On average, the 50 players in this group of great goal scorers was slightly less likely to score while trailing as compared to when the game was tied or their team was leading.

More Likely to Score While Tied

Rk | Player | Goals (Tied) | Goals (Tied) VsExpected
1 | Sergei Fedorov | 189 | 31
2 | Brett Hull | 264 | 27
3 | Mark Messier | 221 | 26
4 | Pierre Turgeon | 179 | 17
5 | Darryl Sittler | 152 | 15
6 | Jaromir Jagr | 258 | 14
7 | Mario Lemieux | 205 | 11
8 | Joe Mullen | 154 | 10
9 | Stan Mikita | 171 | 10
10 | Joe Sakic | 210 | 10
46 | Jarome Iginla | 206 | -15
47 | Gordie Howe | 180 | -16
48 | Mike Gartner | 191 | -23
49 | Wayne Gretzky | 213 | -24
50 | Mike Bossy | 139 | -25

These are the top 10 players in scoring more than expected while the game was tied, as well as the bottom 5 in this area. These numbers have already been presented as Go-Ahead Goals.

More Likely to Score While Leading

Rk | Player | Goals (Leading) | Goals (Leading) VsExpected
1 | Wayne Gretzky | 430 | 43
2 | Glenn Anderson | 251 | 30
3 | Teemu Selanne | 246 | 23
4 | Frank Mahovlich | 254 | 22
5 | Marian Hossa | 209 | 21
6 | Jean Beliveau | 257 | 19
7 | Lanny McDonald | 198 | 16
8 | Jarome Iginla | 209 | 15
9 | Bryan Trottier | 249 | 14
10 | Brendan Shanahan | 258 | 13
46 | Joe Mullen | 181 | -19
47 | Mark Messier | 267 | -21
48 | Joe Sakic | 193 | -22
49 | Dave Andreychuk | 202 | -28
50 | Brett Hull | 242 | -39

Two Edmonton Oilers lead the way here. Again, Gretzky shows up as the best front-running goal scorer of all time. But an Oiler teammate - Mark Messier - is also in the bottom 5.

I'm not surprised to see Marian Hossa here. Hossa was on the Senators of the early 2000s, maybe the best front-running team that I've seen. They excelled at scoring on the counter against teams that were pressing to tie.

A possible reason for Brett Hull's relatively low number of goals scored while leading, compared to his rate in other situations:
http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84117.html
Did not register his first NHL empty-net goal until St. Louis' Jan. 13, 1994, game vs. Edmonton -- his 500th NHL game. Prior to that game, Hull had refused to shoot into an empty net because he didn't want such goals included in his career stats. He was forced to shoot the puck at the empty net on Jan. 13, 1994, because there was nobody else to pass it to.

 

[Canadiens1958]

First Goal

Well post 1967 the NHL used to count and hockey people placed importance on the first goal of the game.

This has faded from the stats packages the last generation.

The idea was that the team /player scoring the first goal gained advantages in terms of dictating the way the game was played.

Would be interesting to see this data and differences over the years.

 

[FissionFire]

I'd be curious to see how the numbers would be affected if empty net goals were not included, although that might be a big undertaking as it would require all teams expected goals while leading be recalculated to not include empty net goals as well.

 

[overpass]

I'd be curious to see how the numbers would be affected if empty net goals were not included, although that might be a big undertaking as it would require all teams expected goals while leading be recalculated to not include empty net goals as well.

Actually, the data quality is an issue here. There are two years where the HSP data doesn't flag empty net goals at all (1964-65 and 1998-99), and at least a couple of other seasons where the number of empty net goals so marked is suspiciously low compared to surrounding seasons. I just don't have an accurate count of empty net goals from this dataset.

Here's the Insurance Goals table again (because 96% of EN goals are insurance goals), along with the player's (possibly incomplete) total of empty net goals at right.

There's certainly some relationship between the number of empty net goals scored and the propensity to score insurance goals.

Although Brett Hull disdained empty net goals like nobody since Al Iafrate, he ended up with a pretty average number of EN goals for this group of players.

Empty net goals by stars appear to have been less common pre-1980 - although it's hard to say for sure considering the possible data quality issues.

Rk | Player | Goals | Insurance Goals | Insurance VsExpected | EN Goals
1 | Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 295 | 29 | 53
2 | Phil Esposito | 717 | 244 | 13 | 8
3 | Teemu Selanne | 686 | 215 | 26 | 22
4 | Brendan Shanahan | 658 | 212 | 14 | 18
5 | Mike Gartner | 707 | 210 | 6 | 15
6 | Jaromir Jagr | 753 | 209 | -9 | 20
7 | Gordie Howe | 641 | 208 | 14 | 11
8 | Marcel Dionne | 729 | 207 | 14 | 21
9 | Steve Yzerman | 691 | 206 | 7 | 22
10 | Mario Lemieux | 690 | 202 | 10 | 33
11 | Bobby Hull | 578 | 199 | 2 | 10
12 | Mark Messier | 693 | 199 | -11 | 21
13 | Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 195 | 22 | 14
14 | Jari Kurri | 589 | 193 | 11 | 12
15 | Jean Beliveau | 502 | 191 | 22 | 11
16 | Brett Hull | 742 | 191 | -30 | 11
17 | Mike Bossy | 574 | 190 | 9 | 14
18 | Luc Robitaille | 668 | 190 | 3 | 8
19 | Glenn Anderson | 497 | 188 | 32 | 10
20 | Bryan Trottier | 524 | 188 | 26 | 25
21 | Jarome Iginla | 613 | 187 | 21 | 31
22 | Stan Mikita | 540 | 185 | 14 | 7
23 | Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 184 | 13 | 13
24 | Guy Lafleur | 560 | 180 | 1 | 3
25 | Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 175 | 8 | 4
26 | Mark Recchi | 577 | 170 | 11 | 16
27 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 566 | 166 | -2 | 10
28 | Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 166 | -15 | 3
29 | Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 164 | 9 | 13
30 | Marian Hossa | 500 | 163 | 14 | 37
31 | Mike Modano | 565 | 161 | 0 | 16
32 | Joe Sakic | 625 | 161 | -9 | 15
33 | Mats Sundin | 563 | 160 | 4 | 11
34 | Jean Ratelle | 491 | 158 | 1 | 7
35 | Lanny McDonald | 501 | 155 | 18 | 13
36 | Patrick Marleau | 481 | 154 | 16 | 13
37 | Michel Goulet | 548 | 154 | -1 | 7
38 | Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 150 | 5 | 23
39 | Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 147 | -3 | 8
40 | Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 145 | -6 | 12
41 | Alex Ovechkin | 532 | 144 | -1 | 26
42 | Ron Francis | 550 | 143 | -5 | 19
43 | Sergei Fedorov | 483 | 143 | -6 | 9
44 | Peter Bondra | 502 | 141 | 3 | 9
45 | Pat Verbeek | 520 | 138 | 1 | 9
46 | Norm Ullman | 488 | 136 | 1 | 8
47 | Joe Mullen | 502 | 131 | -14 | 2
48 | Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 129 | -10 | 6
49 | Brian Bellows | 484 | 122 | -8 | 9
50 | Darryl Sittler | 484 | 113 | -18 | 9

 

[TheStatican]

Just as I thought, Wayne Gretzky's total's and best goal scoring seasons were inflated by scoring against overmatched teams and in games were the results were more of a foregone conclusion with the opposition likely not playing at their best.

 

[Primary Assist]

Excellent, excellent work. This is the kind of content we need to see more of on HFBoards.

I'm proud to see Mats Sundin standing tall in these categories. He looks to be a top 25 player ever who could tie the game or take the lead with a timely goal. Hence the nickname, "Sudden Sundin."

 

[BenchBrawl]

Tremendous work once again by overpass.Still digesting it.

Btw overpass, do you have the playoff numbers? Would be interesting to see.

 

[overpass]

Tremendous work once again by overpass.Still digesting it.

Btw overpass, do you have the playoff numbers? Would be interesting to see.

No playoff numbers yet, but I'll get them someday when I get the playoff data setup.

 

[overpass]

Scoring by Period

These numbers are simply the goals scored in each period by each player, along with the percentage of goals in the period.

Player | Goals | 1st Period | % | 2nd Period | % | 3rd Period | % | OT
Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 242 | 27% | 315 | 35% | 336 | 38% | 2
Jaromir Jagr | 751 | 210 | 28% | 259 | 34% | 262 | 35% | 20
Brett Hull | 742 | 237 | 32% | 259 | 35% | 234 | 32% | 12
Marcel Dionne | 729 | 213 | 29% | 260 | 36% | 254 | 35% | 2
Phil Esposito | 717 | 239 | 33% | 240 | 33% | 238 | 33% | 0
Mike Gartner | 707 | 205 | 29% | 238 | 34% | 257 | 36% | 7
Mark Messier | 693 | 220 | 32% | 218 | 31% | 247 | 36% | 8
Steve Yzerman | 691 | 223 | 32% | 225 | 33% | 234 | 34% | 9
Mario Lemieux | 690 | 207 | 30% | 225 | 33% | 247 | 36% | 11
Teemu Selanne | 686 | 220 | 32% | 220 | 32% | 237 | 35% | 9
Luc Robitaille | 667 | 215 | 32% | 238 | 36% | 207 | 31% | 7
Brendan Shanahan | 656 | 172 | 26% | 251 | 38% | 221 | 34% | 12
Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 213 | 33% | 227 | 36% | 192 | 30% | 7
Joe Sakic | 625 | 204 | 33% | 202 | 32% | 212 | 34% | 7
Jarome Iginla | 612 | 190 | 31% | 193 | 32% | 223 | 36% | 6
Bobby Hull | 610 | 189 | 31% | 217 | 36% | 204 | 33% | 0
Gordie Howe | 641 | 191 | 30% | 233 | 36% | 217 | 34% | 0
Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 193 | 32% | 236 | 39% | 179 | 29% | 1
Jari Kurri | 589 | 173 | 29% | 193 | 33% | 216 | 37% | 7
Mark Recchi | 577 | 166 | 29% | 218 | 38% | 187 | 32% | 6
Mike Bossy | 574 | 159 | 28% | 205 | 36% | 206 | 36% | 4
Joe Nieuwendyk | 564 | 173 | 31% | 205 | 36% | 179 | 32% | 7
Mike Modano | 563 | 167 | 30% | 187 | 33% | 200 | 36% | 9
Mats Sundin | 561 | 154 | 27% | 184 | 33% | 208 | 37% | 15
Guy Lafleur | 560 | 182 | 33% | 185 | 33% | 193 | 34% | 0
Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 178 | 32% | 206 | 37% | 172 | 31% | 0
Ron Francis | 550 | 162 | 29% | 187 | 34% | 197 | 36% | 4
Michel Goulet | 548 | 175 | 32% | 186 | 34% | 184 | 34% | 3
Stan Mikita | 540 | 168 | 31% | 178 | 33% | 194 | 36% | 0
Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 165 | 31% | 187 | 35% | 178 | 33% | 8
Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 158 | 30% | 177 | 33% | 199 | 37% | 0
Alex Ovechkin | 532 | 155 | 29% | 169 | 32% | 191 | 36% | 17
Bryan Trottier | 524 | 176 | 34% | 177 | 34% | 170 | 32% | 1
Pat Verbeek | 520 | 162 | 31% | 184 | 35% | 171 | 33% | 3
Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 168 | 32% | 193 | 37% | 153 | 30% | 4
Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 163 | 32% | 175 | 34% | 166 | 32% | 11
Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 169 | 33% | 192 | 37% | 152 | 30% | 0
Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 177 | 35% | 174 | 34% | 157 | 31% | 5
Joe Mullen | 502 | 146 | 29% | 184 | 37% | 167 | 33% | 5
Jean Beliveau | 502 | 173 | 34% | 166 | 33% | 163 | 32% | 0
Peter Bondra | 502 | 127 | 25% | 191 | 38% | 177 | 35% | 7
Lanny McDonald | 501 | 161 | 32% | 169 | 34% | 171 | 34% | 0
Marian Hossa | 497 | 109 | 22% | 175 | 35% | 201 | 40% | 12
Glenn Anderson | 497 | 164 | 33% | 173 | 35% | 155 | 31% | 5
Jean Ratelle | 491 | 168 | 34% | 176 | 36% | 147 | 30% | 0
Norm Ullman | 488 | 143 | 29% | 184 | 38% | 161 | 33% | 0
Brian Bellows | 484 | 143 | 30% | 173 | 36% | 161 | 33% | 7
Darryl Sittler | 484 | 144 | 30% | 167 | 35% | 173 | 36% | 0
Sergei Fedorov | 482 | 148 | 31% | 171 | 35% | 148 | 31% | 15
Patrick Marleau | 481 | 134 | 28% | 158 | 33% | 180 | 37% | 9
Average | 583 | 178 | 30% | 202 | 35% | 198 | 34% | 6

I included the average because, for whatever reason, these great goal scorers have been less likely to score in the first period compared to the second and the third.

Marian Hossa's splits are really extreme - only 22% of his goals scored in the first period! His profile as a goal scorer was similar to Gretzky's in some ways - lots of empty net goals, more likely to score while leading, more likely to score late in the game.

Just a very general observation - it looks like the "garbage goal" scorers drop off a bit in the third period and the "rush" scorers do better in the third.

 

[overpass]

Goal scoring by goal #

These are the counts of goals as the goal# in the game.

I was primarily interested in the 1st goal column, as the first goal of a hockey game is particularly important in setting the direction for the rest of the game. I also included columns for the 2nd/3rd goal of the game, the 4th/5th goal, the 6th/7th goal, the 8th/9th goal, and the 10th+ goal.

Most of the variation in these numbers can be attributed to varying scoring levels over time, of course. But there are still some interesting points. For example, Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri rarely scored the first goal of the game.

Player | Goals | 1st Goal of Game | % | 2nd/3rd Goal | % | 4-5th Goal | % | 6-7th Goal | % | 8-9th goal | % | 10+ goal | %
Wayne Gretzky | 895 | 85 | 9% | 211 | 24% | 189 | 21% | 190 | 21% | 113 | 13% | 107 | 12%
Jaromir Jagr | 753 | 130 | 17% | 221 | 29% | 193 | 26% | 114 | 15% | 69 | 9% | 26 | 3%
Brett Hull | 742 | 131 | 18% | 232 | 31% | 195 | 26% | 106 | 14% | 54 | 7% | 24 | 3%
Marcel Dionne | 729 | 97 | 13% | 189 | 26% | 175 | 24% | 137 | 19% | 79 | 11% | 52 | 7%
Phil Esposito | 717 | 102 | 14% | 210 | 29% | 180 | 25% | 111 | 15% | 80 | 11% | 34 | 5%
Mike Gartner | 707 | 87 | 12% | 195 | 28% | 179 | 25% | 130 | 18% | 79 | 11% | 37 | 5%
Mark Messier | 693 | 110 | 16% | 181 | 26% | 157 | 23% | 109 | 16% | 89 | 13% | 47 | 7%
Steve Yzerman | 691 | 100 | 14% | 202 | 29% | 163 | 24% | 128 | 19% | 65 | 9% | 33 | 5%
Mario Lemieux | 690 | 100 | 14% | 148 | 21% | 156 | 23% | 145 | 21% | 77 | 11% | 64 | 9%
Teemu Selanne | 685 | 119 | 17% | 239 | 35% | 162 | 24% | 97 | 14% | 44 | 6% | 24 | 4%
Luc Robitaille | 668 | 83 | 12% | 222 | 33% | 164 | 25% | 100 | 15% | 61 | 9% | 38 | 6%
Brendan Shanahan | 658 | 109 | 17% | 189 | 29% | 198 | 30% | 99 | 15% | 43 | 7% | 20 | 3%
Gordie Howe | 641 | 104 | 16% | 212 | 33% | 190 | 30% | 93 | 15% | 32 | 5% | 10 | 2%
Dave Andreychuk | 639 | 105 | 16% | 194 | 30% | 164 | 26% | 110 | 17% | 43 | 7% | 23 | 4%
Joe Sakic | 625 | 117 | 19% | 193 | 31% | 148 | 24% | 103 | 16% | 44 | 7% | 20 | 3%
Jarome Iginla | 611 | 111 | 18% | 223 | 36% | 157 | 26% | 89 | 15% | 20 | 3% | 11 | 2%
Bobby Hull | 610 | 112 | 18% | 203 | 33% | 145 | 24% | 89 | 15% | 39 | 6% | 22 | 4%
Dino Ciccarelli | 609 | 91 | 15% | 162 | 27% | 150 | 25% | 107 | 18% | 59 | 10% | 40 | 7%
Jari Kurri | 589 | 56 | 10% | 133 | 23% | 139 | 24% | 104 | 18% | 86 | 15% | 71 | 12%
Mark Recchi | 576 | 78 | 14% | 186 | 32% | 163 | 28% | 87 | 15% | 42 | 7% | 20 | 3%
Mike Bossy | 574 | 65 | 11% | 150 | 26% | 139 | 24% | 111 | 19% | 62 | 11% | 47 | 8%
Joe Nieuwendyk | 566 | 84 | 15% | 189 | 33% | 138 | 24% | 95 | 17% | 42 | 7% | 18 | 3%
Mike Modano | 564 | 104 | 18% | 165 | 29% | 168 | 30% | 81 | 14% | 32 | 6% | 14 | 2%
Mats Sundin | 563 | 78 | 14% | 183 | 33% | 146 | 26% | 94 | 17% | 43 | 8% | 19 | 3%
Guy Lafleur | 560 | 67 | 12% | 171 | 31% | 130 | 23% | 115 | 21% | 50 | 9% | 27 | 5%
Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 89 | 16% | 176 | 32% | 140 | 25% | 87 | 16% | 38 | 7% | 26 | 5%
Ron Francis | 550 | 68 | 12% | 169 | 31% | 123 | 22% | 93 | 17% | 64 | 12% | 33 | 6%
Michel Goulet | 548 | 74 | 14% | 156 | 28% | 133 | 24% | 95 | 17% | 62 | 11% | 28 | 5%
Stan Mikita | 540 | 96 | 18% | 159 | 29% | 150 | 28% | 88 | 16% | 35 | 6% | 12 | 2%
Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 105 | 20% | 150 | 28% | 159 | 30% | 67 | 12% | 46 | 9% | 11 | 2%
Frank Mahovlich | 534 | 84 | 16% | 179 | 34% | 137 | 26% | 87 | 16% | 34 | 6% | 13 | 2%
Alex Ovechkin | 525 | 97 | 18% | 160 | 30% | 151 | 29% | 68 | 13% | 40 | 8% | 9 | 2%
Bryan Trottier | 524 | 84 | 16% | 138 | 26% | 140 | 27% | 82 | 16% | 50 | 10% | 30 | 6%
Pat Verbeek | 520 | 74 | 14% | 148 | 28% | 134 | 26% | 84 | 16% | 52 | 10% | 28 | 5%
Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 67 | 13% | 152 | 29% | 127 | 25% | 98 | 19% | 37 | 7% | 37 | 7%
Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 84 | 16% | 162 | 31% | 139 | 27% | 78 | 15% | 30 | 6% | 22 | 4%
Gilbert Perreault | 513 | 83 | 16% | 145 | 28% | 139 | 27% | 85 | 17% | 33 | 6% | 28 | 5%
Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 92 | 18% | 175 | 34% | 130 | 25% | 69 | 13% | 37 | 7% | 10 | 2%
Jean Beliveau | 502 | 84 | 17% | 163 | 32% | 126 | 25% | 79 | 16% | 33 | 7% | 17 | 3%
Joe Mullen | 502 | 61 | 12% | 138 | 27% | 122 | 24% | 99 | 20% | 44 | 9% | 38 | 8%
Peter Bondra | 502 | 70 | 14% | 172 | 34% | 121 | 24% | 83 | 17% | 41 | 8% | 15 | 3%
Lanny McDonald | 501 | 76 | 15% | 121 | 24% | 118 | 24% | 86 | 17% | 58 | 12% | 42 | 8%
Marian Hossa | 500 | 72 | 14% | 147 | 29% | 152 | 30% | 98 | 20% | 23 | 5% | 8 | 2%
Glenn Anderson | 497 | 59 | 12% | 130 | 26% | 119 | 24% | 90 | 18% | 55 | 11% | 44 | 9%
Jean Ratelle | 491 | 83 | 17% | 157 | 32% | 120 | 24% | 70 | 14% | 42 | 9% | 19 | 4%
Norm Ullman | 488 | 77 | 16% | 148 | 30% | 132 | 27% | 80 | 16% | 34 | 7% | 17 | 3%
Brian Bellows | 484 | 69 | 14% | 146 | 30% | 110 | 23% | 95 | 20% | 36 | 7% | 28 | 6%
Darryl Sittler | 484 | 68 | 14% | 120 | 25% | 115 | 24% | 104 | 21% | 52 | 11% | 25 | 5%
Sergei Fedorov | 483 | 81 | 17% | 165 | 34% | 120 | 25% | 78 | 16% | 26 | 5% | 13 | 3%
Patrick Marleau | 478 | 81 | 17% | 157 | 33% | 152 | 32% | 58 | 12% | 21 | 4% | 9 | 2%

 

[JAK]

Almost half of Gretzky's goals were the 6th+ goals for his team. Wow.

 

[overpass]

Almost half of Gretzky's goals were the 6th+ goals for his team. Wow.

Not for his team specifically - they were the 6th+ goals in the game by both teams. So a goal scored to make the game score 4-2 would be counted as a 6th goals.