The plus/minus rating

November 8, 9:13 PMNashville Predators ExaminerJim Diamond

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One of my faithful readers (have I mentioned lately what a smart and great looking readership I have?) e-mailed me and asked me to write something about the plus/minus so a “mere human can understand it.” 

So humans, here we go.

When a goal is scored, the players on the ice for both teams are recorded on the score sheet. If the goal is an even-strength or a shorthanded goal, the players on the ice for the team that scored receive a plus. Conversely, the players on the ice for the team that allowed the goal receive a minus. Goaltenders do not receive plus/minus ratings.

Take a look at yesterday’s Game Summary of the Predators 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings here. The players who were on the ice for the goals scored are found in the two columns on the right side.

Francis Bouillon scored the game’s first goal at 16:38 of the second period on a Predators power play. Since it was a power-play goal, none of the players on the ice received a plus or a minus.

When Cody Franson made the game 2-0 at the 4:52 mark of the third period, the goal was scored at even strength. The five Nashville Predators skaters on the ice at the time of the goal (10-Martin Erat, 12-Andreas Thuresson, 18-Mike Santorelli, 32-Cody Franson, and 52-Francis Bouillon) all received a plus, and the five Kings skaters (3-Jack Johnson, 6-Sean O’Donnell, 23-Dustin Brown, 28-Jarret Stoll, and 63-Scott Parse) all received a minus.

Dustin Brown’s power-play goal at 8:25 of the third cut the score to 2-1, but again, since it was a power-play goal, no one’s plus/minus changed as a result.

Joel Ward capped the game’s scoring at 9:45 of the third with an even-strength goal. The five Predators who received a plus on that goal were: 2-Dan Hamhuis, 11-David Legwand, 20-Ryan Suter, 25-Jerred Smithson, and 29-Joel Ward. The five Kings who received a minus were: 3-Jack Johnson, 6-Sean O’Donnell, 11-Anze Kopitar, 14-Justin Williams, and 94-Ryan Smyth.

The five Predators who were on the ice for the second goal were different than the ones who were on the ice for the first Nashville even-strength goal, so there were ten Predators who finished the game +1. Two Kings (Johnson and O’Donnell) were on the ice for both Nashville even-strength goals against, so they both finished the game -2.

The value of the plus/minus statistic can be debated. Players who have nothing to do with a goal being scored are given a plus just like the ones who were integral parts of getting the goal. The same can be said for goals against. Forwards who are assigned to checking lines may not have a ton of offensive ability, so their main responsibility is usually to shut down the opposing team’s top offensive line. Checking lines do not normally score a lot of goals and usually are not 100% successful in keeping their opponents off of the scoreboard.

So humans, for those of you who did not understand the plus/minus rating before, did this help?

Other faithful readers, if you have any burning questions or items you would like to see a story about, please feel free to e-mail me. My e-mail address can be found by clicking the bio button next to my picture at the top of this page.