Dylan Cozens scores twice, Sabres snap skid with win over Oilers

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Dylan Cozens scores twice, Sabres snap skid with win over Oilers

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dylan Cozens scored twice, including the go-ahead goal, in a span of 5:14 and the Buffalo Sabres snapped a 0-4-1 skid with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.

Anders Bjork also scored during a second period in which Buffalo overcame a 2-1 deficit after Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored two power-play goals. Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 shots — including bang-bang chances by Draisaitl with 4:45 remaining — for his second win in seven starts, and after allowing 13 goals in his past three outings.

The Pacific Division-leading Oilers dropped to 10-3 in failing to win 11 of their first 13 games of a season for the first time in team history.

Draisaitl improved his NHL-leading total to 14 goals, and Connor McDavid had an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to 13 games, in which he now has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points.

The 13-game run to open the season is just the fifth in the NHL since 2000, and longest since Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon had a 13-game streak to open the 2019-20 season. McDavid’s streak ranks fourth among the Oilers, with Wayne Gretzky having the three longest runs of 16 games (1984-85), 30 (1982-83) and 51 (1983-84).

The assist also was McDavid’s 599th career point in 420 games. Only five players have reached the 600-point mark in fewer games, with Eric Lindros ranking sixth at 429.

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Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner stopped 20 shots in making his second start of the season, and third of his career. He got the nod with starter Mike Smith sidelined with a lower-body injury, and with Edmonton playing on consecutive nights following a 5-3 win at Boston.

Cozens scored the go-ahead goal with 50 seconds left in the second period by converting a loose puck in the crease, and after Skinner stopped Vinnie Hinostroza’s backhander on a transition break.

Cozens tied it at 2 with 6:04 left in the second period, and set up for a partial breakaway by Drake Caggiula, who intercepted Duncan Keith’s pass at centre.

NO GOAL TIMES 2

The teams traded goals negated by video reviews in the opening 10 minutes.

Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse’s shot from a bad angle was initially ruled a goal 2:14 in. Replays, however, showed the puck went off Tokarski’s pad, off the crossbar and rolled off the goalie’s back without crossing the goal line.

Buffalo’s Arttu Ruotsalainen then had a goal disallowed by review when replays clearly showed his stick was above the crossbar when deflecting in Jacob Bryson’s shot from the left point.

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ICE CHIPS

Oilers RW Zack Kassian missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. … The Oilers converted two of six power-play opportunities after going 0 of 4 in their past two games. Edmonton has scored on the power-play in 11 of 13 games. … The Sabres improved to 1-3-1 when allowing a power-play goal.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Continue five-game road trip at St. Louis on Sunday night.

Sabres: Host cross-border rival Toronto on Saturday night.

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