An empty net goal, or colloquially an empty netter (abbreviated as EN or ENG), occurs in ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

when a team scores a goal

Goal (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

 into a net with no goaltender

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 (goalie) present. This usually occurs in one of two different occasions:

1. Usually in about the last two minutes of a game, if a team is within two goals, they will often pull the goalie, leaving the net defenseless, for an extra attacker
   Extra attacker
   An extra attacker in ice hockey is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. The purpose of this substitution is to gain an offensive advantage to score a goal...
   
   , in order to have a better chance of scoring to either tie or get within one goal. If the team with the lead gets control of the puck
   Hockey puck
   A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
   
    they will often shoot at the net after clearing center ice. It is less common for a team to shoot from their own zone at an empty net because icing
   Icing (ice hockey)
   Icing in ice hockey occurs when a player shoots the puck across at least two red lines, the opposing team's goal line being the last, and the puck remains untouched. It is, however, not icing if the puck is shot from behind the halfway line into the goal, or when the shot must be played by the...
   
    could occur if the shooter misses the net. Sometimes a team will pull their goalie when they are on a two-man advantage
   Power play (sport)
   "Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...
   
   , even if not nearing the end of the game. With the team then gaining an advantage of six skaters to three, this will increase even further the chances of the team scoring.
2. In the case of a delayed penalty
   Penalty (ice hockey)
   A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
   
   , the non-offending team will often pull their goaltender for an extra attacker in this situation as well. Empty net goals that are scored in this case are accidental own goals because the whistle would be blown if the offending team touches the puck. An own goal is usually scored when a forward
   Forward (ice hockey)
   In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
   
    from the non-offending team passes backwards to a defenseman
   Defenceman (ice hockey)
   Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
   
    that is not in position, and the puck slides all the way down the ice into the team's own net, or when players of the non-offending team are being pressured in their own zone and they accidentally knock it into the net. This goal is credited to the last player on the scoring team who touched the puck.

Goaltender's Statistics

Empty net goals are charged to the goaltender that was previously in net as empty net goals against (abbreviated as EN, ENG or ENA). Empty net goals do not count against a goaltender's goals against average

Goals against average

Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

 or their save percentage

Save percentage

Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

, but rather are tracked separately.

Soccer

An empty net goal can also occur in soccer in a situation where a team is losing by a goal late in a game in which goal difference

Goal difference

In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....

 is not a relevant factor, such as in a knockout cup competition. Often in these situations the goalkeeper of the team that is losing will go into the attacking area if his team has a set play, such as a corner kick

Corner kick

A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...

. In this case it is then possible for the defending team to score into the empty net if they are able to win possession of the ball.

Examples of this include Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso

Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...

 scoring for Liverpool against Luton Town in the FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 and Ryan McCann

Ryan McCann

Ryan McCann is a Scottish professional association footballer who plays in either midfield or at right back and who is currently at Stockport County...

 scoring for Queen of the South

Queen of the South

For other uses see Queen of the South Queen of the South is an alternative title for the Queen of Sheba. The phrase Queen of the South is used in the New Testament and is attributed to Jesus Christ....

 against Dundee in the Scottish Cup

Scottish Cup

The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

.