Pääsyöttö

Pääsyöttö, in Finnish sports statistics, refers to the primary assist in a scoring sequence. It is the pass that directly precedes a goal and is credited to the player who made the last pass before the goal scorer. The goal scorer does not receive the assist. If multiple passes occur before the goal, the most recent passer before the goal earns the pääsyöttö, while earlier passes may be credited as a secondary assist (toissijainen syöttö) in many leagues.

In practice, pääsyöttö is a common statistic in ice hockey and is reported in player profiles and league leaderboards, including Liiga and the NHL. It is used to gauge a player’s playmaking ability and involvement in scoring plays. While the concept is most associated with hockey, the term is specifically the Finnish designation for what English-language statistics call the primary assist.

Examples: If Player A passes to Player B, who then scores, A receives the pääsyöttö. If Player A passes to B, who passes to C who scores, B earns the pääsyöttö and A may be credited with a secondary assist.

Etymology: Finnish pää- means “main” and syöttö means “pass.” See also syöttö (assist) and toissijainen syöttö (secondary assist).