Happy homecomings for Kozak, Reimer lead Sabres to win over Jets

James Reimer typically blocks out the noise from the crowd when he’s in goal, his focus entirely on the tasks of staying calm and stopping pucks.

Yet Reimer – as locked in as ever – couldn’t help but notice the reaction after his fellow Manitoba native, Tyson Kozak, scored during the third period of the Buffalo Sabres’ 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Canadian Life Centre on Sunday.

“It felt like there was a lot of cheering for an opposing team scoring,” Reimer said. “So, really happy for him.”

The Sabres turned in a resilient win over the Western Conference’s top team despite playing on back-to-back days and at the tail-end of a week-long road trip. JJ Peterka, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch added goals while Ryan McLeod scored the length of the ice into an empty net to complete a four-point performance.

But the outcome would not have been possible if not for the Sabres’ two Manitoba natives – one a rookie playing for the first time in his home province, the other a 15-year veteran who’d made the trip several times, and both breathing testaments to the dividends of consistently doing the right things.

Kozak has carried the reputation of a hard-working, defensively reliable centerman since the Sabres drafted him during the seventh round in 2021. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff lauded the habits he had seen through the 22-year-old’s first 15 NHL games this season on Sunday morning, as did Reimer and the captain Dahlin following the win.

“Every single game he’s flying out there,” Dahlin said. “He’s working really, really hard and he creates a lot, too. I’m happy that he scored today. Well-deserved. He’s one of those guys you really want on your team.”

Added Reimer: “He plays the right way every single day. You’re always excited when a guy like that gets rewarded.”

Kozak estimated he had about 150 people in attendance, accounting for friends, family, and two minor hockey teams that made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from his hometown of Souris. His grandfather, Murray, was attending his first-ever NHL game.

Kozak’s supporters got to witness his second NHL goal, which was in itself a testament to one of the rookie’s good habits: a consistent willingness to go to the net. With the Sabres up 2-1 and a power play about to expire during the third period, Kozak won an offensive-zone draw, peeled to the net-front and buried a rebound.

The moment, he said, was surreal.

“I just try to play an honest, 200-foot game,” Kozak said. “Try not to cheat the game. Just be responsible defensively and hopefully chances come at the other end of the rink.”

Before and after Kozak’s goal, it was Reimer who kept the Sabres afloat against a Jets team that entered Sunday on an eight-game home point streak. The veteran – eight days removed from his 37th birthday – made 33 saves, including a highlight-reel’s worth of high-danger stops.

It was just the 15th game this season for Reimer, who’s embraced a backup role behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after signing a one-year deal last summer. His daily habits have kept him ready when called upon, and after Sunday's win he now boasts a .904 save percentage.

Reimer gave the Sabres confidence to keep pushing when the Jets opened with a 23-9 shot advantage over the first 40 minutes. In the first period, he stuck with Mason Appleton as the Jets forward crossed left to right in front of the Buffalo net and gloved Appleton’s bad-angle shot from along the goal line.

Peterka opened the scoring a minute later.

“He was a guy that put a lot of confidence in our guys to keep at it and try to get a win,” Ruff said. “Some of the saves were the reason we ended up with the victory.”

Shots were 14-3 in favor of the Jets when Nino Niederreiter sent a puck into the Buffalo net off of Beck Malenstyn to tie the game at 1-1 early in the second period. That score held until late in the period, when once again a highlight-reel save from Reimer preceded a Sabres goal by less than a minute. This time, Adam Lowry was the victim of a lunging glove save from point-blank range. Dahlin followed by scoring a one-timer at the other end.

“Without [Reimer], I don’t think we would walk out of here with a win,” Dahlin said. “He played unbelievable today.”

The Sabres extended their lead to 3-1 on Kozak’s goal early in the third period, but the Jets kept pushing. Colin Miller cut through the Buffalo defense and roofed a shot from the slot to bring the Jets back within one, then an interference call gave Winnipeg’s NHL-best power play a chance to tie the game.

Reimer made two grade-A saves with the Sabres shorthanded, turning away a Mark Scheifele one-timer with his blocker and then stuffing a Gabriel Vilardi attempt from the blue paint. Those stops paved the way for Alex Tuch’s shorthanded breakaway goal, which was the product of a diving effort by Connor Clifton to clear the defensive zone.

“That’s the type of desperation that puts a smile on your face,” Ruff said.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored with 3:28 remaining to once again bring the Jets within one, which set the stage for what was perhaps Reimer’s wildest stop. Net-front contact sent the goaltender tumbling to the ice as the Jets worked the puck to Niederreiter in the left circle. Reimer was laying flat on his side as Niederreiter took his shot for the tying goal, but he managed to reach and snag the puck with his glove.

“Well, we’re paid to entertain, so I thought it’d look a little better if it was on my backside,” Reimer quipped afterward.

McLeod scored on a backhand shot from in front of Reimer with 47 seconds remaining. It sealed a gutsy win for the Sabres, who finished their four-game road trip 2-2-0, as well as a memorable moment for their two hometown heroes.

“It’s special to be able to play in your hometown,” Reimer said.

Here’s more from the victory.

1. Jordan Greenway blocked a point-blank shot from Miller during the first period and was ruled out following the first intermission with a lower-body injury.

“Our docs will look at him tomorrow,” Ruff said. “I’m hoping not bad.”

2. Jacob Bernard-Docker tallied a pair of primary assists for the first multi-point game of his career. The right-shot defenseman made his Sabres debut in Minnesota on Saturday, spending time alongside each of the team’s five left-shot defensemen.

He finished Sunday’s game having skated 12:49, including 9:51 alongside Owen Power. He assisted on Peterka’s goal to open the scoring, then spun away from a defender to feed Dahlin’s one-timer during the second period.

“He’s been great,” Dahlin said. “Both sides of the puck. Offensively he makes great plays obviously and he’s really solid defensively too. And he’s tough, he’s not backing down from anybody. It’s a great add. We’re very happy to have him here.”

3. Peterka scored for the third time in as many games since returning from a three-game absence caused by a lower-body injury. The forward cut to the slot from the right corner and buried a near-side shot past Jets goaltender Eric Comrie:

4. McLeod’s four points marked a career high for the forward, who now has 11 points in the last eight games.

Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Tickets are available here.

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.