Shift chart data is the backbone of on-ice lineup analytics. This season, the NHL shift chart endpoint is returning empty data for a large share of completed games. The result: lineup net-xG and defensive metrics can look sparse or missing - not because a team lacks lineups, but because the on-ice data simply is not published.
What we found
We ran a diagnostics pass on all completed 2025-26 games. For 388 games, the NHL shift chart endpoint responded with status 200 but returned an empty dataset. That means the endpoint is up, but the shift chart payload is absent. We checked again today, January 30, 2026, and we will retry as more data comes in.
Why it matters
Lineup and defensive metrics are only as good as the shift charts:
- Lineup net-xG requires knowing who was on the ice at the moment of each shot.
- Defensive xGA/60 depends on accurate on-ice time.
When shifts are missing, those rows vanish entirely or appear undercounted. This can make a team look like it has no 5-man 5v5 lineups at all - even when those lineups clearly existed in the games.
What this means for the site
If you see empty lineup tables (especially at 5v5) or oddly small defensive samples, it is likely a coverage gap, not a model issue. This season the gap is big enough that we are surfacing a coverage note directly on the lineup and player defense pages.
What we are doing about it
- We will keep retrying missing games in case the NHL backfills shift data later.
- The site warns when lineup and defensive data depends on missing shifts.
- We split lineups by situation and size so the page stays fast and useful as data fills in.
Why this is still useful
Even with gaps, the data that is present is informative:
- You can still compare lineups within the subset of games that have shift charts.
- 2-, 3-, and 4-man lineup views often have more coverage than 5-man combinations.
- Power play and penalty kill splits can still reveal leverage units where shift data exists.
Takeaway
This season highlights a reality of public hockey data: shot events are reliable, but deployment data is not always there. We will keep the analytics honest and transparent, and as the shift charts return, the lineup leaderboards will fill in automatically.
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