Dylan Cozens: Popping Off the Net
Dylan Cozens did a great job on his goal last night, popping off of the net in a way that allowed him to be able to create space and open a passing lane for Jake Sanderson near the slot. Cozens has been very effective since being acquired from Buffalo last week, where he is up to 2 points and creating a lot of shot volume since joining the Senators.
This could very well be a trade that works out well for both sides, considering how both players (The other being Josh Norris) needed change of scenery and new environments to be in. With Cozens in Ottawa, he is now in playoff contention and has the ability to help the Sens down the stretch get into a playoff spot, which will be extremely motivating for him as well.
Since being traded away from Buffalo, Cozens has not only been more productive, he looks more rejuvenated. It really made sense for Buffalo to move on from him given that Buffalo wasn’t winning and they weren’t taking major strides from a team perspective, and since he finally now has the chance to become a better player in Ottawa, we should see Cozens take those next steps in his development alongside the younger talent Ottawa has.
With Stutzle breaking his stick on the one timer opportunity, Ottawa was temporarily in a situation that looked more difficult to get out of. The puck went to the corner, where Brady Tkachuk was pressuring right away and looking to get the puck loose out of the corner. Tkachuk did an excellent job beating the DET’s swarm in the corner of the zone, escaping with Jake Sanderson as a pass option inside the slot.
That swarm allows Sanderson to activate down the middle, and be available as a wide open pass option in the slot. Cozens pops off the back side of the net here, which allows him to free himself as a passing option and be in shooting position. Right away off the pass from Tkachuk, Sanderson leverages a bit of shot fake deception, and passes to a wide open Cozens to a one timer into a wide open net.
The fake from Sanderson allows that lane to open up for Cozens so easily, and Cozens takes advantage here.