How to Read a Hockey Scoreboard and Game Sheet

Whether sitting in the stands at a local ice rink, watching a televised NHL match, or managing time from the scorer’s box, understanding how to read a hockey scoreboard and an official game sheet is essential.

While the overhead scoreboard gives spectators real-time situational updates during a game, the official game sheet serves as the permanent record of goals, assists, penalties, and goaltending statistics. Here is a guide to decoding both.

1. Decoding the Arena Scoreboard

While modern NHL jumbotrons feature high-definition video displays, standard arena scoreboards rely on a clean, functional layout to deliver game data at a glance.

Key Scoreboard Display Fields

TIME (Game Clock): Shows the remaining minutes and seconds in the current 20-minute period (e.g., 14:32). When the clock drops below 1:00 in the final period, most scoreboards display tenths of a second.
PERIOD (PER): Indicates the active stretch of play—1, 2, or 3 for regulation periods, or OT / SO for overtime and shootouts.
HOME & GUEST (VISITOR): Displays the current total goals scored by each team.
SOG (Shots on Goal): Tracks the cumulative number of saved or goal-scoring shots directed at each team’s net.
PLAYER / PENALTY (Penalty Timers): Located beneath each team’s score. When a player receives a penalty, their jersey number (e.g., #88) and the remaining penalty time (e.g., 2:00) count down. If two players are serving penalties simultaneously, two separate lines illuminate.

Reading Penalty Clocks: If the Home team has a player listed under “PENALTY” while the Guest team’s box is blank, the Guest team is currently on a Power Play (5-on-4 skaters).

2. How to Read an Official Hockey Game Sheet

The official game sheet (or scoresheet) is filled out by off-ice officials at the scorekeeper’s bench during the game. It records every goal, penalty, and goaltending metric required for league standings and player statistics.

Key Sections of a Game Sheet

A. Roster & Lineup Box

Lists every dressed player for Home and Away teams, including:

Jersey Number & Name
Captaincy Designation: C (Captain) or A (Alternate Captain).
Position: F (Forward), D (Defense), or G (Goalie).
Starting Lineup Checkmarks: Identifies the six players who take the ice for the opening faceoff.

B. Scoring Summary

Every goal scored is logged chronologically across individual columns:

Per	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	1st Assist	2nd Assist	Type
1	08:14	Home	#19 (Toews)	#88 (Kane)	#2 (Duncan)	PP
2	14:02	Away	#97 (McDavid)	#29 (Draisaitl)	—	EV

Type Codes: EV = Even Strength, PP = Power Play, SH = Short-Handed, EN = Empty Net, PS = Penalty Shot.

C. Penalty Log

Every penalty assessed is logged with strict detail to ensure accurate suspensions and league tracking:

[Per]  [Time]  [No.]  [Player Name]  [Penalty Offense]  [Min]  [Off Ice]  [On Ice]
 2      04:15   #44    Gudbranson     Tripping           2:00   04:15      06:15

Off Ice / On Ice: Tracks the exact time a player entered the penalty box and when they returned to play (which may be early if a power-play goal was scored).

D. Goaltending Summary

Records performance metrics for starting and backup goaltenders across each period:

Shots Against (SA): Total shots faced per period.
Saves (SV): Total shots stopped.
Goals Against (GA): Total goals conceded.
Minutes Played (Mins): Total time on ice (e.g., 60:00).

Summary Cheat Sheet

On the Scoreboard: Check TIME for period remaining, SOG for offensive pressure, and PENALTY rows to see who is playing short-handed.
On the Game Sheet: Read goals left-to-right to identify who scored and who earned primary/secondary assists (G-A1-A2).