Under the NHL rule cited here, if a defending player accidentally puts the puck into their own net, the attacking player who last touched it gets credit for the goal. If that last touch was by the goalie, the goalie is credited—even if a teammate’s errant pass sent the puck into the net. No assist is awarded on this kind of goal.
How the NHL’s own-goal rule assigns credit
The 2019–20 NHL Official Rules, Rule 78.4, states: “A goal shall be scored if the puck is shot into the goal by a player of the defending side. The player of the attacking side who last touched the puck shall be credited with the goal but no assist shall be awarded.” The rule also treats a goal as one point in a player’s record and allows only one player to receive a point for a goal. NHL Official Rules, 2019–20, Rule 78.4
That means the official scorer looks to the last attacking-side player who touched the puck before a defending player put it into the defending team’s net. The teammate who physically sent it into their own net is not credited as the opposing team’s goal scorer. The goalie does not have to have shot the puck or intended to score.
What the goal changes in the record
- The goal is added to the attacking team’s score.
- The attacking player who last touched the puck receives the goal in their individual scoring record. That player may be the goalie.
- No assist is awarded for this own-goal situation under the cited Rule 78.4.
A recent example: Ilya Sorokin
On March 1, 2025, Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin made a save against Nashville with 20 seconds remaining in the third period. Nashville forward Steven Stamkos later got the puck, and an errant pass went out of the zone and into Nashville’s own net. Sorokin was credited with the goal with 12 seconds left. The credited scorer was determined by the last-touch rule, not by who made the pass that sent the puck into the net. NHL.com’s report on Sorokin’s credited goal
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How this differs from a goalie shooting into an empty net
There are two distinct ways a goalie can be credited with a goal:
| Situation | Who physically sends the puck into the net? | Why the goalie receives credit | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent’s own goal | A defending player puts the puck into their own net. | The goalie was the attacking-side player who last touched the puck, under the cited 2019–20 NHL Rule 78.4. | No assist is awarded in the rule’s own-goal case. |
| Direct empty-net goal | The goalie shoots the puck into the opposing empty net. | The goalie directly scores the goal. | The cited sources do not state the assist outcome for this separate scenario. |
NHL.com reported that Igor Shesterkin shot into Tampa Bay’s empty net on October 1, 2026, illustrating the direct-shot route. The league distinguishes that from a goalie receiving last-touch credit after an opponent’s own goal. NHL.com report on Shesterkin’s empty-net goal
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- Official NFHS Field Hockey Rules Book and Officials Guide
How many goalie goals have there been?
In a report dated October 2, 2026, NHL.com counted 21 goals credited to 18 NHL goalies: 19 in the regular season and two in the playoffs. The league said 12 goalies scored by shooting into an empty net, while eight goals came from an opposing player accidentally putting the puck into their own net. This is a dated NHL tally, not a permanent total. NHL.com’s October 2, 2026 tally and categories
Can a goalie’s credited goal decide the game?
Yes. NHL.com’s October 2, 2026 report said Martin Brodeur was the first and, as of that report, the only goalie credited with a game-winning goal. In 2000, Philadelphia’s Daymond Langkow accidentally put the puck into his own net; Brodeur received the goal credit, and it became the game-winner. The “only” record is specific to that report’s date. NHL.com’s October 2, 2026 report
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Which rules does this explanation cover?
The quoted rule is from the 2019–20 NHL Official Rules. It explains the NHL’s last-touch attribution in the cited edition; it should not be assumed to establish the wording of a later edition or the rules used by another hockey league.
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