“Goal!”
The most important stat of any hockey game is the number of goals a team can put on the scoreboard. But while many focus on the physical act of getting the puck into the back of the net, the likelihood of getting that opportunity is influenced by many things on the ice, and that includes getting the puck into the offensive zone from the middle of the ice.
“The neutral zone is the most important zone,” coach John Tortorella told BlueJackets.com. “We refer to it as decision-making with and without the puck.