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NHL scoring and whistle trends
Analytics and intelligence, bias modeling for the 3rd team on the rink.
This page tracks multi-season NHL scoring and minor penalties trends against league baselines. Figures come from 12,282 games with season scope controls below. Expect descriptive trend tables and narratives, not forecasts or picks.
This page summarizes historical referee patterns in NHL games, including scoring, minor penalties, and how often games finished above a fixed benchmark.
These are historical associations, not predictions. They do not show that an official caused the scoring or minor penalties differences. Not betting advice.
- Seasons covered
- 2016–2026 (10 seasons)
- Games analyzed
- 12,282
- Officials included
- 123
- Last updated
- 2026-08-22T21:36:47.720Z
League context
- Avg combined score
- 6.3
goals per game
+0.2 vs prior season
- Avg minor penalties
- 8.3
per game
- Benchmark threshold
- 6.3
goals combined
Fixed reference for over/under rate
Notable official patterns
Recent high-confidence patterns
- Mike Leggo
Scoring
Notable scoring dip
-0.9 GScoring delta vs avg
Games officiated by Mike Leggo have averaged 0.9 fewer combined goals than the league average.
- Steve Kozari
Whistle
Notable heavy minors pace
2025-26 vs 2024-25: league scoring and whistle context
10/06League scoring held steady year over year (2024-25 to 2025-26). Penalty minutes rose (+1.7 PIM). Two-minute minors averaged 8.3 per team (+0.4 minors YoY). Overtime rate: 24.8% (+4.1 pp vs prior season).
| Season | Games | Avg goals | Avg minors | OT rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 1,230 | 5.5 | 7.9 | 23.5% |
| 2017-18 | 1,271 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 23.3% |
| 2018-19 | 1,271 | 6 | 8.1 | 21.3% |
| 2019-20 | 1,082 | 6 | 8.2 |