Boss34
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: BUFFALO , NY Joined: 12.03.2015
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Empty net goals don't count period - The_Inkwell
Cozen empty net goals = awesome
Olofsson empty net goals = separate category |
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joshs
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: cheektowaga, NY Joined: 07.07.2012
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Fun first period and a very scary win. Have a good night all. Cya around. |
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Hatboro_Swords
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: Next year is gonna be 05/06 all over again, PA Joined: 07.30.2010
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Probably gonna have to solve Hellebuyck on Thursdee. |
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Boss34
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: BUFFALO , NY Joined: 12.03.2015
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Probably gonna have to solve Hellebuyck on Thursdee. - Hatboro_Swords
Probably gonna be comrie for Buffalo.
Seems like a natural fit?
I'd stick with upl, but with comrie , if not now, when? |
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kingcong39
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: albany, NY Joined: 02.21.2007
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The geniuses in here will say it doesn’t count as a shorty because it was an empty net. - Hatboro_Swords
Wish they wouldn't count empty net goals as even strength goals when the other team isn't on a power play, as the team in the lead is still playing shorthanded. |
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Probably gonna be comrie for Buffalo.
Seems like a natural fit?
I'd stick with upl, but with comrie , if not now, when? - Boss34
I agree with the giving Comrie the start. You need to see what he can do or if he can do anything.
If he sucks again. Potentially sending him down to roch to start? If teams are not claim hino due to cap hit. They won’t for Comrie Idk. Just a thought |
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SABRES 89
Season Ticket Holder Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: I'm very Happy to be here. Las Vegas Via Buffalo N.Y. Joined: 02.17.2007
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Just my opinion but I wouldn't mind adding Max Domi. He's fast, plays with Grit and can score. |
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I agree with the giving Comrie the start. You need to see what he can do or if he can do anything.
If he sucks again. Potentially sending him down to roch to start? If teams are not claim hino due to cap hit. They won’t for Comrie Idk. Just a thought - Sabretooth9
Don't think you can risk it. Little over a month til the trade deadline, then roster size isn't an issue.
If he gets 2 starts a month, you really can't expect much.
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Boss34
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: BUFFALO , NY Joined: 12.03.2015
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Don't think you can risk it. Little over a month til the trade deadline, then roster size isn't an issue.
If he gets 2 starts a month, you really can't expect much. - Lunaion
Comrie at Winnipeg has vibes written all over it. |
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Comrie at Winnipeg has vibes written all over it. - Boss34
It makes sense. UPL has also played a lot lately.
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lacaprup
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: NY Joined: 07.23.2006
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Probably gonna be comrie for Buffalo.
Seems like a natural fit?
I'd stick with upl, but with comrie , if not now, when? - Boss34
I certainly hope not. I see zero reason to play Comrie save an injury. |
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lacaprup
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: NY Joined: 07.23.2006
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Buff36
Buffalo Sabres |
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Joined: 10.13.2019
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homiedclown
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: We want 1, FL Joined: 02.24.2008
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Just my opinion but I wouldn't mind adding Max Domi. He's fast, plays with Grit and can score. - SABRES 89
If the celery is in line, I think he’d be a solid 3/4th line guy. Put a little edge in the bottom 6.
That could give you
Krebs
Olo
Jost
Domi
Mitts?
That’s 5 of 6. I still think I send Mitts out in a package for a top 4 rd. |
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ImThatGuy
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: I AM MY OWN DAMN SOURCE!, NY Joined: 11.04.2010
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TheSabresTaco
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: For me. jack Eichel is bobby ryan….that's it. - Octavarium, NY Joined: 05.05.2011
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TheSabresTaco
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: For me. jack Eichel is bobby ryan….that's it. - Octavarium, NY Joined: 05.05.2011
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TheSabresTaco
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: For me. jack Eichel is bobby ryan….that's it. - Octavarium, NY Joined: 05.05.2011
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Just my opinion but I wouldn't mind adding Max Domi. He's fast, plays with Grit and can score. - SABRES 89
If you don't like Casey, you're definitely not going to like Max.
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Buff36
Buffalo Sabres |
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Joined: 10.13.2019
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The Athletic
league2023 NFL Draft rankings
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Purdue back at No. 1
league
Trade deadline big board
league
Tracking LeBron’s scoring record chase
Dylan Cozens’ breakout season for Sabres fueled by zone entries
Dec 29, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (24) looks to take a shot on goal during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
By Matthew Fairburn
3h ago
9
Save Article
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A sight that has become more common for the Buffalo Sabres and increasingly scary for opponents is that of 21-year-old Dylan Cozens carrying the puck into the offensive zone with a head of steam.
It happened again on Saturday afternoon during Buffalo’s 6-3 win over Anaheim. Cozens collected a neutral zone pass at the blue line. Within a few strides, he had separated from the backcheck and found himself skating toward Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg. He picked his head up to look over at Tyson Jost skating down the other wing. That was just enough to freeze Silfverberg, and Cozens deked him to the ice before lifting a shot right underneath the crossbar.
Cozens, the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is in the middle of a breakout season. He’s already set career highs with 17 goals, 26 assists and 43 points. And he is only 48 games into his third NHL season.
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He’s establishing himself as a piece of the Sabres’ growing leadership core due to his competitiveness. Now the 6-foot-3 forward is showing all of the talent that made him a top-10 pick in the NHL Draft. His shooting percentage is at a career-high, but the foundation of his offensive outburst is his ability to be a play-driver through zone entries.
As of Jan. 1, Cozens was leading the Sabres in zone entries by a large margin. Of those, 66 percent of them were carry-ins, according to Corey Sznajder’s tracking at AllThreeZones.com.
Courtesy: Corey Sznajder / AllThreeZones.com
That Cozens is doing this at 21 years old with a pair of 21-year-old linemates makes it even more impressive. Cozens said having options like Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka and making the defense respect those options helps open everything up for him. As he’s gotten more experience, he notices that he’s increasingly able to stay calm with the puck on his stick.
“Sometimes in those first couple of years I would get the puck and wanted to get to my high speed as quick as I can,” Cozens said. “Now I’ve learned to wait for guys to catch up to me so we can attack as a group and then just try to show the d-man I’m going slow and then go fast at it.”
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson routinely matches up against opponents’ top lines in games, and he said the most difficult zone entries to defend are those on which the puck carrier is able to buy extra time by protecting the puck or changing speeds to keep the defenseman off balance. He’s had to deal with Cozens in practice on a regular basis and sees all of the qualities of the top zone entry players.
“His speed is the first thing,” Samuelsson said. “He can challenge anybody. When he uses his speed but then slows down, it forces the d-men to back up and then you have to launch forward and it gets the d out of rhythm when he’s changing his speed. He’s a hell of a playmaker. I think it’s underrated how well he can protect pucks with his body. If he’s on the outside and not in the middle and gets the puck, he can protect it. Going against it in practice every day it’s pretty annoying.”
Physical skills are one thing, and Cozens has plenty. His speed, particularly his ability to get to top gear quickly, stands out. He has the passing and shooting skills to keep defensemen guessing, too. But Don Granato’s first thought when thinking about players who are dangerous when entering the zone is intelligence. A player needs to be able to read where the pressure is coming from both with the defensemen and backcheckers. He also needs to be able to read what options he has joining him on the rush.
Granato views this as a significant area of learning for players when they are entering the NHL. Most players who enter the league have long been more talented than their peers. That makes it a lot easier to dominate as a puck carrier.
“When you get to the NHL, there’s not a discrepancy in skill,” Granato said. “It’s down to like two or three percent. You have to substitute that with game knowledge or situational awareness and lots of other details beyond that. That’s the challenge as players enter the league.”
Cozens has begun to master that. Owen Power said the toughest thing about defending Cozens is that his ability to change speeds makes it difficult to gauge how fast he’s going at any particular moment. Power has noticed that zone entries are one of the most challenging aspects about transitioning from the college game to the NHL. In college, a lot of teams are content to play dump and chase. In the NHL, the best teams have players who are trying to create on the rush.
“I think the biggest thing for me is guys who don’t skate in straight lines,” Power said. “When you skate straight all the time, it’s pretty easy to angle you off. If you weave in and out it’s a lot tougher. You look at a lot of the best guys, they do that and they change speeds a lot.”
The numbers also show Cozens is just scratching the surface in terms of creating scoring chances off of those zone entries.
Courtesy: Corey Sznajder / AllThreeZones.com
It’s no secret that the Sabres are a young, fast team that wants to create scoring chances off the rush. In that sense, Cozens said zone entries start with how quickly the team is able to transition from defense to offense. The quicker they can flip the play, the less time the opponent has to read what they’re going to do. That’s what has helped them work their way into a tie for the league lead in goals per game. And it’s what is making Cozens a soon-to-be highly-paid star.
“Confidence is a big thing, the ability to trust your speed and playmaking ability to make plays,” Cozens said. “The more confident I get, the more I’ll create off the rush and get those high-danger chances.”
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA TODAY Sports)
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buffalofan19
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: Wonderful things can happen when you sow seeds of distrust in a garden full of (bum)holes Joined: 07.01.2007
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i dunno bout all that - TheSabresTaco
"Talks" -
"What's your ask for Timo Meier"
"Owen Power and a first".
"No."
Talks over.
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Buff36
Buffalo Sabres |
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Joined: 10.13.2019
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"Talks" -
"What's your ask for Timo Meier"
"Owen Power and a first".
"No."
Talks over. - buffalofan19
Is it even a No or a dial tone |
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"Talks" -
"What's your ask for Timo Meier"
"Owen Power and a first".
"No."
Talks over. - buffalofan19
If it was Mittelstadt and a first, or VO and a first, the fans would do it |
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lacaprup
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: NY Joined: 07.23.2006
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Solid article about Cozens and zone entries. Very rarely someone writes something about a Sabre we have not talked ad nauseum already. I shall train my eye on it |
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TheSabresTaco
Buffalo Sabres |
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Location: For me. jack Eichel is bobby ryan….that's it. - Octavarium, NY Joined: 05.05.2011
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"Talks" -
"What's your ask for Timo Meier"
"Owen Power and a first".
"No."
Talks over. - buffalofan19
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