When an even-strength or shorthanded goal is scored, every player on the ice for the team scoring the goal is credited with a “plus.” Every player on the ice for the team scored against gets a “minus.”

A player’s overall total is calculated by subtracting the minuses from the pluses. A high plus total is taken to mean that a guy is a good defensive player. But it’s a very broad measurement and there has always been disagreement over how useful a statistic it is.

1. Power play goals are not used in calculating plus-minus.
2. Shorthanded goals are used in calculating plus-minus.
3. Penalty shot goals are not used in calculating plus-minus.

and also empty net goals are used in calculating plus-minus only when shorthanded

They explain it well. Plus/minus as a stat can be misleading, and (somewhat obviously) it’s more about the team than the player. A good player on a bad team is likely to have a bad +/-, might not mean he’s bad defensively.

Best bet is to compare to a player’s teammates. If a player has a relatively high (or low) +/- compared to the rest of his team, that may mean something.

And welcome to Pensburgh! Any more questions you might have, feel free to ask. We’ll have an open thread for tonight’s game around 7 (your time), feel free to stop in if you’d like

Most people here are very friendly to newbies, which is a welcome change from other hockey forums. My signature is a statement about my own steep learning curve. (I am a lifelong NASCAR fan and have only been watching hockey since 2006.) There’s so much to learn about hockey, but I guess that’s true of any sport.

Anyway, welcome, and hope you enjoy the game Saturday night!