One of the bright spots to begin the season has been the performance of Tyson Kozak for the Buffalo Sabres. The former seventh-round pick entered Friday night with a goal in each of the past two games, but unfortunately, he will see that streak come to an end.
Kozak suffered an injury in the first period against the Maple Leafs and didn't return to begin the second period. The bad news is that the Sabres have already ruled Kozak out for this game due to a lower-body injury.
After playing in 21 games last season, Kozak has been with the Sabres for almost the entirety of this season, as he has appeared in six games. He has seen his role grow as of late and was coming off his best game of his career.
In the game against the Red Wings, they would lose Jason Zucker during the game, and Kozak was one of the players who helped fill in for his absence as he played 22 shifts and 15:46 of ice time, both season-highs and only the second time in his career that he had more than 14 minutes.
Buffalo Sabres are likely going to be without Tyson Kozak in the next game as well
While the severity of the injury is unknown at this point, the fact that he has already been ruled out is not a good sign. There have certainly been instances where a player could bounce back, and Jason Zucker is a perfect example, as he left early against the Red Wings and didn't return in that game. However, he was able to play against the Maple Leafs on Friday.
The difference is that Zucker had the luxury of having a day in between game. Kozak doesn't have that as the Sabres will be back on the ice tomorrow night against the Maple Leafs.
It is a long season and with how valuable Kozak has shown to be, the Buffalo Sabres would be wise to err on the side of caution and hold him out.