Cozens “I Wanted To Be Part Of The Solution”
Former Sabre Dylan Cozens returns to Buffalo to take on his former club on Tuesday. The Buffalo Sabres return home after splitting a four-game road swing with a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets to take on some familiar faces, as former Sabres Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators visit Key Bank Center on Tuesday.
Even though his name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors all season, the four-player deal on deadline day that brought center Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Sabres still came as a bit of a surprise to Cozens, who was in his fifth season in Buffalo.
"My name was out there for a while, and I thought a lot of it was just kind of talk, rumors and stuff. I never really thought it would actually happen, so when I found out that it was real, it still did kind of come as a shock," Cozens said on Tuesday morning. “I wanted to be here. I committed to being here. I wanted to be part of the solution. It was sad that it didn't work out."
After a career-high 31 goals in 2023, the 24-year-old center struggled to recapture his offensive chops in Buffalo, dropping to 18 goals last season and 11 goals in 61 games this year, but thus far his scoring touch has bounced back with the Sens, with seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in eight games. Gilbert, who played 25 games for his hometown team before being dealt, has played only once since the trade and is not expected to be in the lineup for Ottawa.
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The Sens are in a good position for making the playoffs for the first time since 2017, as they hold the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, four points up on Montreal, and five points ahead of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Ullmark, who was acquired in a trade from Boston last summer, has bounced back from four straight losses after returning from injury, going 8-2-1 in his last 11 starts.
Head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on Jordan Greenway, who did not return after being injured in the first period on Sunday. Ruff said it was a day-to-day situation but that it was not as a result of a blocked shot. After a 33-shot victory over the Jets, James Reimer was in the starter’s net for the morning skate on Tuesday, but Ruff would not confirm his starting goalie.
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