Scoring chance

A scoring chance, in ice hockey is an attempt, or chance for a team or holder of the puck to score a goal.

While there is no exact definition of a scoring chance, the Elias Sports Bureau, who is the official statistics recorder of the National Hockey League and many other professional sports leagues, clarifies a scoring chance as an attempt or shot taken from a "home-plate shaped area" that goes from the top of the faceoff circles, through the faceoff dots, then angled to the goal posts. Another possible definition of a scoring chance can be any shot that is taken by an attacking team on an odd-man rush, such as a 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 break.

A reason many boxscores and stat sheets list the number of scoring chances is to differentiate between shots that are relatively easy saves for the goaltender.