BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sabres rookie forward Dylan Cozens is still considered "day-to-day" and was still being evaluated on Friday, according to coach Ralph Krueger.
Cozens is dealing with an upper body injury after a hit by forward Zach Aston-Reese when the Sabres lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Thursday night.
Sabres defenseman Colin Miller fought Aston-Reese following the hit, which Krueger and forward Victor Olofsson expressed they thought was dirty after the game.
"Looking at it now it's a push in the numbers in a real vulnerable dangerous spot. I think it has to be a penalty," Krueger said on Thursday night.
"[It's] really difficult when when you see a player exposed like that and you give them a push right in the numbers at that distance. You know the danger of that as a player."
Olofsson added: "It was kind of a bad hit. [Cozens] was in a vulnerable place and it was a really unnecessary and dangerous play. I don't know what the status, with Dylan, but it didn't look good."
Krueger added captain Jack Eichel, who appeared to injure his neck on Sunday against the New York Islanders, is still on a minimum seven to ten day time table for a return.
Eichel has missed two games since Sunday, and Cozens has replaced him, centering the top line both Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and Thursday against the Penguins, flanked by Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart.
No players from the Rochester Americans will be available for the Sabres, as the team is dealing with COVID-19 issues. The Amerks game against the Utica Comets, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed "out of an abundance of caution in regard to league COVID-19 protocols," the team posted on its Twitter account on Friday.
"They are not available to us. But they’re going through the same protocol that we did here just, you know, we hope it doesn’t affect the whole team," Krueger said.
The Sabres return to action, hosting the Penguins again, at 7 p.m. Saturday.