Don Granato reminded Dylan Cozens at times last season that he didn’t have to prove he belonged in the NHL. Cozens was only 20 years old but in his second NHL season, oftentimes playing against top lines on the opposing team and learning through the process.
“I think he’s beyond that,” Granato said Tuesday. “This is a big separator now, just what has transpired in the last few weeks to that end.”
Cozens finished last season and played on the top line for Canada at the World Championship, tying for the team lead with seven goals. The results of his offseason training were apparent when he arrived back at camp in the fall, looking and playing stronger than an average 21-year-old.
That momentum has only gotten stronger as the regular season has progressed. Cozens was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday after tallying four goals and nine points in four games, which trailed only Connor McDavid (11 points) and Leon Draisaitl (10).
Cozens had consecutive three-point outings against Colorado on Thursday (1+2) and San Jose on Sunday (0+3), the fourth Sabres player aged 21 or younger to accomplish that feat. The others: Dave Andreychuk, Gilbert Perreault, and Pierre Turgeon.
“It’s pretty cool I guess,” Cozens said. “Lots of credit to my teammates. I wouldn’t have got that without them.”
Video: Dylan Cozens on earning NHL’s 2nd Star of the Week
Cozens has centered the Sabres’ youngest forward, teaming with rookies Jack Quinn (age 21) and JJ Peterka (20) to form a highspeed, highly skilled trio that has dominated in terms of scoring chances on a nightly basis. The Sabres have outchanced opponents 76-48 with their line on the ice at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Cozens, despite his own age, has been a veteran presence for the trio.
“He’s doing the right things all the time,” Rasmus Dahlin said on Sunday. “He defends well but offensively he never does anything wrong it feels like. He’s protecting the puck, makes the play when he has to. He’s got skill and a great shot, so he’s got it all I feel like.”
Each time Granato has been asked about Cozens’ success, he returns to the same quality.
“I keep saying the same thing about him, it’s compete,” Granato said. “Just couple that with love of the game that he has, the love of the game hockey. He competes for the right reason being in a team sport. He brings guys in with him, he drags people into the fight, per se, which is a real indicator of his leadership and leadership ability going forward.
“There’s so many things, so many elements for Dylan. … We can assess his skill set, and I guess that’s somewhat simple and getting better by the day. But it’s the intangibles that separate him.”
Video: Don Granato after Tuesday’s practice
Here are more notes from practice on Tuesday.
1. Here’s how the Sabres lined up.
| December 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 22 Jack Quinn |
| 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 17 Tyson Jost | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | ||
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| 20 Lawrence Pilut | ||
2. Granato stuck with a change he made during the game against San Jose on Sunday, with Peyton Krebs centering Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo and Tyson Jost centering Casey Mittelstadt and Victor Olofsson during practice.
“Krebs, Girgensons and Okposo were really, really good in that period,” Granato said. “And the other guys, they’ve had a couple good practices. They were finding the game and looked a little better in practice and having practice time, and I like that threesome.”
3. The Sabres departed for Columbus after practice to play the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. The game will be nationally televised on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.
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