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Tyson Kozak

#48 · Center · Buffalo Sabres

Shoots left · 23 years old

GamesGPGoalsGAssistsAPointsPShotsSOGIce timeTOI
This season100007:32
Last season462463011:17

Kozak centers Buffalo’s third line.

His calling card? He throws himself in front of shots and plays a heavy, physical game.

Role

Where he fits on Buffalo right now.

Line

L3 with S. Carrick and B. Malenstyn · 6:17 a game together

Power play

Not on either unit

Penalty kill

Rarely kills penalties · not a regular in 15 kills

Ice time

7:32 a game, 14th-most among Buffalo forwards · 7:31 5-on-5

Competition

Tougher opponents than 87% of forwards · home 83%, road 90%

Tougher opponents than 99% of forwards

What he carries

How much of Buffalo’s game runs through him, and what they would have to replace without him.

  • Goals he’s in on

    4%Spread around

    6 of 162 · 689th in NHL

  • Goals he scores

    1%Spread around

    2 of 162 · 621st in NHL

  • Power-play goals

    0%

    0 of 30 · not a power-play regular

  • Shots on goal

    2%Spread around

    30 of 1,293 · 682nd in NHL

  • Goals he’s in on

    0%Spread around

    0 of 1 · 462nd in NHL

  • Goals he scores

    0%Spread around

    0 of 1 · 299th in NHL

  • Power-play goals

    0%

    0 of 1 · not a power-play regular

  • Shots on goal

    0%Spread around

    0 of 24 · 572nd in NHL

If he’s out, who picks it up

Line
L3, center with Carrick and Malenstyn6:17 a game together lately
Next in line T. ThompsonBuffalo’s next most-used center
Power play
Not a regular0:01 a game
Nothing to hand over
Ice time
7:32 a game14th-most of any Buffalo forward
Nothing to hand over
Penalty kill
Not usedno regular shorthanded minutes
Nothing to hand over

“Next in line” is the teammate who already does the most of that after him this season. It is not a guess at the coach’s choice. Dots in the cards above are his Buffalo teammates, each over the games they played; hover one for the name.

What a fill-in gives back

He’s in on 0.13 goals a game. A typical depth forward called up to replace him is in on about 0.30.

First lineSecond lineTypical fill-inKozak

Goals scored or assisted per game, this season and last. Faint dots are his Buffalo teammates up front; ticks are the typical NHL forward by ice-time rank on his team.

When he’s been out

He missed 39 games between Oct 25, 2025 and Oct 8, 2026. Buffalo won 24 of them.

With himWithout
Won28 of 4724 of 39
Goals a game3.43.4
Chance edge a game−0.10+0.23

Even over this many games, results swing a lot by luck, and other players come and go too.

What Buffalo count on him for

What his post-game report cards judge him on, why, and how often he has done it.

  • Hitting

    Better than 90% of forwards

    A typical night: 2 hits

    ≈0 of 1 games

  • Faceoffs

    Relied on to take plenty of faceoffs

    A typical night: faceoffs won

    –0 of 0 games

Not on his report card

  • Power play0:01 a gameBar: 1:30 a game
  • Killing penaltiesRarely kills penaltiesBar: 1:00 a game
  • Shooting better than 9%Bar: better than 75%
  • Creating his own chances better than 6%Bar: better than 75%
  • Creating chances at 5-on-5 better than 9%Bar: better than 75%
  • Preventing chances at 5-on-5 better than 52%Bar: better than 75%
  • Takeaways better than 86%Bar: better than 75%
  • Blocking shots better than 93%Bar: better than 75%

His report card grades him on what Buffalo rely on him for and what he does better than most at his position: better than 75% of centers, or a regular share of the power play, penalty kill or faceoffs. These are the others.

Recent games

His report card and Swing from his last 1 game, newest first.

Swing is how much his night moved the game, from the post-game page. Tap a game for the full report.

Where he stands out

What he does better or worse than most players at his position.

Better than most at his position

  • Staying out of the box

    0.36 penalties taken /60better than 94% of forwards

  • Shot blocking

    blocking score 1604.22 blocks /60better than 93% of centersmore than 98% of centers

  • Fast bursts

    12.3 bursts /60more often than 93% of forwards

  • Top speed

    23.4 mphfaster than 91% of forwards

Behind most at his position

  • Time in the offensive zone

    36.6% of his timeless than 99% of forwards

  • Creating his own chances

    0.49 expected goals /60behind 94% of centers

  • Shooting volume

    7.9 shot attempts /60behind 91% of centers

  • Creating chances

    −0.17 expected goals /60behind 91% of forwards

Listed only when we can be confident he is above or below average. Numbers from this season and last, through Oct 11. Compared with forwards who have played at least 20 games over the two seasons.

Better than most at his position

Nothing yet where we can be confident he is above most forwards.

Behind most at his position

Nothing yet where we can be confident he is below most forwards.

Listed only when we can be confident he is above or below average. Numbers from this season, through Oct 11. Compared with forwards who have played at least 3 games.

All ratings

Every rating, against other forwards.

Tyson KozakAverage forwardLikely range

This season’s 1 game blended with last season’s 46, and pulled toward the average forward by an amount that depends on how quickly each rating settles.

Shooting volume, creating his own chances, shot blocking, hardest shot and distance skated compare centers with centers, because centers and wingers really differ there. Everything else compares all forwards.

This season’s 1 game only, pulled toward the average forward. Expect wide ranges this early.

Driving play at 5-on-5

  • Creating chances
    Along for the rideDrives play

    −0.17 expected goals /60bottom 9%

    −0.03 expected goals /60too few games

  • Preventing chances
    Chances against riseShuts it down

    −0.03 expected goals against /60average

    +0.01 expected goals against /60too few games

Scoring

  • Shooting volume
    Rarely shootsFires away

    7.9 shot attempts /60bottom 9%

    11.2 shot attempts /60too few games

  • Creating his own chances
    Few chancesDangerous

    0.49 expected goals /60bottom 6%

    0.68 expected goals /60too few games

  • Finishing
    Below expectedSniper

    −0.5 goals above expected /100 shotsbottom 43%

    −0.4 goals above expected /100 shotstoo few games

  • Setting up goals
    Rarely sets upPlaymaker

    0.48 first assists /60bottom 18%

    0.56 first assists /60too few games

Special teams

  • Power-play chances
    QuietThreat

    1.85 expected goals /60too few games

    1.86 expected goals /60too few games

  • Shorthanded threat
    Pure defensePower kill

    0.85 expected goals for /60bottom 43%

    0.90 expected goals for /60too few games

Physical and puck

  • Hitting
    Avoids contactPhysical

    hitting score 188top 14%13.80 hits /60top 9%

    hitting score 89too few games7.96 hits /60too few games

  • Shot blocking
    Rarely blocksShot blocker

    blocking score 160top 7%4.22 blocks /60top 2%

    blocking score 94too few games0.00 blocks /60too few games

  • Takeaways
    RarePuck thief

    takeaway score 129top 14%1.37 takeaways /60top 11%

    takeaway score 101too few games0.00 takeaways /60too few games

Penalties and faceoffs

  • Drawing penalties
    RarelyDraws calls

    0.51 penalties drawn /60bottom 9%

    0.79 penalties drawn /60too few games

  • Staying out of the box
    Often penalizedClean

    0.36 penalties taken /60top 6%

    0.69 penalties taken /60too few games

  • Faceoffs
    Loses drawsWins draws

    48.7% wonbottom 43%

    50.0% wontoo few games

Hitting, shot blocking and takeaways are arena-adjusted scores (100 is the average forward); switch “Hits and takeaways” to Raw in the settings to see the numbers as recorded. How the ratings work.

Shots

Where his shots come from, and how his misses miss.

Show
2164511610211

41 unblocked shots, this season and last, from his point of view. 1 more from outside the zone. Empty nets left out.

0 unblocked shots, this season, from his point of view. Empty nets left out.

How his misses miss

  • Wide left7
  • Wide right3
  • Over the net0
  • Off the post or crossbar0
  • Short or other1

11 missed shots. “Wide left” is from his point of view.

No missed shots yet.

The NHL’s game data records how a shot missed, but not where in the net a goal or save went (glove side, blocker, five-hole). That needs paid camera tracking, so we don’t show it.

Skating and shot

Speed, bursts, shot power and where he spends his shifts, from the NHL’s own tracking (NHL EDGE).

  • Top speed
    SlowerBurner

    23.4 mphtop 9%

    21.3 mphtoo few games

  • Fast bursts
    RareFrequent

    12.3 bursts /60top 7%

    15.9 bursts /60too few games

  • Hardest shot
    SofterCannon

    81.1 mphbottom 11%

    0.0 mphtoo few games

  • Distance skated
    ShorterCovers ground

    9.97 miles /60top 19%

    9.27 miles /60too few games

  • Time in the offensive zone
    DefendingAttacking

    36.6% of his timebottom 1%

    34.3% of his timetoo few games

Top speed and hardest shot are his best single moments over this season and lastthis season; bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of his ice time. Tracking data: NHL EDGE.