Cozens is terrible on the PK and should not be out there.

[mjd1001]

I watched the replays of the goals, and the same thing I don't like about Cozens happened again, he just doesn't learn.

Last year we talked about, and I posted some pictures/videos that showed the Sabres PK was actually really good WHEN guys held position in the traditional PK box.  It caused the other team to pass the puck around the perimeter, but they basically didn't allow many good scoring chances. 

When the Sabres got in trouble on the PK last year, it was mostly when they lost discipline. When they started chasing the puck. And the #1 offender of doing that and allowing goals was Cozens.

Some things just don't change.

Look at the replay of the first goal allowed last night and watch Cozens.

About 4 seconds before the goal was scored, Cozens takes himself out of position, on the wrong side of the ice near the blue line. You can already see the #41 on the penguins wide open, as Cozens 'chased'. That was the guy that took the wide open shot that was deflected in as a goal.

 

about 3 seconds before the goal was scored:

-Cozens went from being out of position up high, to chasing the puck into the corner WAY down low, had zero chance of getting it and totally took himself out of the play. You can see #41 is wide open, waiting for the clear pass that he turns into the shot that eventually went in

 

[mjd1001]

about 2 seconds before the goal was scored:

Now Cozens is way out of the play, he tries to get back over to his slot but he has zero chance. 

 

[pastajoe]

That’s why they try players in situations during preseason. I expect Greenway will be on PK1, and perhaps McLeod.

[mjd1001]

Finally 1 second before the goal was scored. Quinn is up high but trying to defend 2 people up high. The D-man down low has to kinda play half way between both guys on the near side. Cozens has been out of position for the last few seconds, the D-man has to make a choice, drop down low to cover the guy near the crease, leaving the shooter WIDE open and can basically sit there with all the time in the world analyzing the situation.....OR...he can take cozens spot and challenge the shooter, leaving the guy down low wide open.

Cozens leaves the D-man in a no-win situation, and the area he vacated was where the goal came from. If Cozens was where he was supposed to be, the guy taking the shot wouldn't have so much space and so much time AND the guy who tips the puck in could be covered better by the D-man on that side.

He did this ALL last year, he was a disaster on the PK. He got slightly better, but this happens with him time and time again. How can the coaches not see this and not correct it? and if he refuses to learn why is he out there?

 

4 minutes ago, pastajoe said:

That’s why they try players in situations during preseason. I expect Greenway will be on PK1, and perhaps McLeod.

I get it, but my bigger issue is why Cozens doesn't learn. He is used out there pretty frequently, last year and the year before, and he does this all the time.  

How can he not figure out that he is the single biggest detriment to the Sabres PK and he keeps on doing it?

 

BTW, he also does this even strength. When the Sabres get pinned in their own zone, he will start chasing the puck all over the ice like a dog chasing a squirrel. Often times goals are scored because of his lack of discipline that way. Now the 2nd half of last year he got better, but its just a little discouraging to see him so blatantly go back to bad habits less than 5 minutes into the first preseason game.

Edited 2 hours ago by mjd1001

[PerreaultForever]

Except, it's okay for you for Quinn to be up high chasing a defender but not for Cozens, he has to be everywhere right?

I will bet you that Lindy has told Cozens to attack the point. It's the D's job to box out and cover the slot. 

[mjd1001]

14 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Except, it's okay for you for Quinn to be up high chasing a defender but not for Cozens, he has to be everywhere right?

I will bet you that Lindy has told Cozens to attack the point. It's the D's job to box out and cover the slot. 

If you watched the replay, even equating what Quinn does to what Cozens did is just WAY off base.

Quinn is staying in close to his position. Please show me where Quinn chased a guy up high and totally opened up a wide area of the ice that the opposing team took advantage of.

I'd like to think Lindy didn't give Cozens free authority to go all the way across the ice, all the way to the blue line, then crosses both Quinn and the D-man down low, gets stuck in the corner across the ice from where he is supposed to be, and then the shot leading to the goal being scored is taken from the spot on the ice that is now 100% vacated by him.

I don't have a problem with Cozens pressuring a guy up high if its the right time. I do have a problem with him chasing the puck all around the ice, while his teammates stay in position, attempting to cover for him until its just too much to do.

Quinn did nothing even close to being out of position as Cozens, are you even watching the same goal? 

There is a difference between chasing a defender up high..and what Cozens did. Cozens chases the defender a LOT higher, goes all they way across the ice, then goes all the way into the corner.

What Cozens did wrong isn't even close to what Quinn did.

Edited 1 hour ago by mjd1001

[GASabresIUFAN]

Didn't we acquire McLeod, Malenstyn, Zucker, Kube, Lafferty & Greenway to kill penalties?   

[mjd1001]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Didn't we acquire McLeod, Malenstyn, Zucker, Kube, Lafferty & Greenway to kill penalties?   

Hopefully. Last year Cozens got the 2nd most minutes penalty killing under Granato, and he was on the first pk unit at the start of the game yesterday under Ruff. Maybe once the full lineup is playing, those guys will be on the ice instead.

Last year, the top 6 guys in terms of Short handed time on ice per game played among forwards were Greenway, Tuch, Cozens, Quinn, Zemgus and Tage. Of those 6, Cozens was on the ice for the most goals allowed per 60 minutes (9.06). The 2nd worst was Greenway at 6.48.

As you said, I hope those other guys are on the PK, but seeing Cozens out there right away in preseason game one, and seeing just how bad he did is something that was noticeable and I didn't like.

Edited 11 minutes ago by mjd1001