Ovechkin also whiffed on a neutral zone hit on Stepan that allowed the Rangers center to score in the first period.

WSJ: Ovechkin penalties spur Rangers' 4-1 win over Caps

Ehrhoff, Vanek and Cody Hodgson played a three-man passing game through the neutral zone.

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Or, a good candidate for a zone might be a contested area between states, which could be assigned to a neutral trustee.

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Teams started making adjustments to play him over the years, and the game changed a lot over the years, with clogging up the neutral zone again.

WSJ: Alex Ovechkin heads in right direction for Caps

Vanek put the Sabres in front after taking a long pass from Jason Pominville, that banked off the side boards in the neutral zone, and getting behind Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi.

WSJ: Foligno scores 2 in Sabres' 3-1 win over Rangers