'He's a winning player' | Kozak scores twice in Sabres' win over Habs

Tyson Kozak only had a brief stint at the Prospects Challenge last fall before an injury left him sidelined. It was long enough for the seventh-round pick to leave a lasting impression.
"We all felt - management, coaches - in that small sample that, that kid's a hockey player," Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert recalled Thursday.
Kozak made good on that impression in the ensuing year. His outstanding season with Portland of the Western Hockey League, which saw him score 69 points in 66 games, earned him an entry-level contract with the Sabres this summer. He earned rave reviews from coaches at development camp in July.

He followed through again in the Sabres' Prospects Challenge opener at LECOM Harborcenter on Thursday, scoring a pair of goals - including the shorthanded winner - in a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
"He just has a presence about him," Appert said. "He has a compete about him. His skill is transferrable skill because it's hard skill. It's not just flash. There's a lot of substance to his game that we've felt every time we've been with him. I think he's a winning hockey player and I thought he showed that tonight."

The substance is a testament to the rugged, two-way game Kozak has established despite being listed at just 5-foot-11, 172 pounds. Kozak described himself as a defensive-minded center prior to his draft year, which he saw as his best path to becoming an impact player in Portland. It was only after he was drafted in the final round that he began focusing on offense.
His goals on Thursday showed his willingness to play in hard areas. He stationed himself in front of the Montreal net to deflect a shot from the point to put the Sabres ahead 3-2 in the second period. In the third period, he forced a turnover shorthanded in his own zone and took the puck end to end, driving across the goal before burying his backhand shot.
That Kozak drove to the far post rather than settle for the short-side shot was a sign of his fearlessness, Appert said.
"Because this is big boy hockey and sometimes you take pucks to the back post and you get lit up," Appert said. "And I had no doubt that he was going to take that to the back post."

When the Sabres took a defensive-zone draw during the final minute trying to protect their one-goal lead, Appert sent Kozak to the faceoff dot.
"He just has a lot of bite, a lot of substance," Appert said. "He wins puck battles, he wins faceoffs, I want him on the penalty kill, I want him on the power play, I want him out there at the end of a game trying to protect a lead and I probably want him out there trying to score, too.
"He's just a very useful hockey player."
Here are more takeaways from the Prospects Challenge opener.

Fourth line steps up

Appert made it a point to mention the trio of Josh Passolt, Nolan Burke, and Atley Calvert during his postgame press conference.
Passolt, who signed a one-year AHL contract with Rochester during the summer, buried a feed from Linus Weissbach for the Sabres' first goal. Burke scored on a deflection 27 seconds later.

"I know it's listed as a fourth line, but that line was massive in us winning the hockey game today not only on the scoreboard, but with how hard that threesome played for us tonight," Appert said.

Savoie meets Slafkovsky

The matchup featured a pair of recent top-10 draft picks in Sabres center Matt Savoie (ninth overall) and Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky (first overall). The two forwards were on the ice for the opening puck drop and were matched up often throughout the game.
Savoie was left off the score sheet, but not for a lack of opportunities. He flashed his speed and playmaking in bursts and was used in all situations.
"He made a lot of plays tonight that could have ended up in the net and didn't," Appert said. "But … Savoie on a night when he isn't all over the scoreboard still helps you win hockey games because he does all the other things. He competes, he's fast, he forechecks."
Slafkovsky, too, managed to impress early and often. He used his 6-foot-3, 218-pound build to win a battle in the corner on the forecheck and found fellow first-round pick Filip Mesar in the slot to set up Montreal's shorthanded goal during the first period.
"Slafkovsky was as advertised," Appert said.

Medical report

Josh Bloom sustained an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return. Appert said Bloom will be evaluated again on Friday.

Up next

The Sabres prospects play the New Jersey Devils at LECOM Harborcenter on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on Sabres.com, @BuffaloSabres on Twitter, and on the Buffalo Sabres Facebook page.
Saturday is also the beginning of Fan Fest at KeyBank Center, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and includes current player and alumni autograph sessions; on-stage programming with players, coach Don Granato, and general manager Kevyn Adams; and plenty more. Find more info on the event here.