Colin Miller Drills Zach Aston-Reese For Hit On Dylan Cozens [Fight]

 

Colin Miller smashed Zach Aston-Reese after he pushed Dylan Cozens into the boards, forcing him out for the remainder of the Sabres - Penguins game Thursday.

With 17:42 left in the third period, Reese delivered the late hit while Cozens was five feet from the boards. Miller was on Reese the second he saw Cozens lying on his back. Without hesitation, he pushed Reese against the glass and started drilling him with punches. Miller got in a few good shots and did not relent until he threw Reese to the ice.

Zack Aston-Reese has been playing with the Penguins since 2017 and has been on the receiving end of a few bad hits himself. In 2018, during game 3 of the second round of the playoffs, he felt the wrath of Tom Wilson, when he hit him high and broke his jaw. Its odd that someone who has never delivered a bad hit, has first had knowledge of the damage they can do, would do so at this point in his career.

Sabres' coach Ralph Krueger, expressed disappointment that Reese wasn’t assessed a penalty for delivering the hit after Cozens had dumped the puck.

“Looking at it now, it’s pushing the numbers in a real vulnerable, dangerous spot. I think it has to be a penalty and good for Millsy jumping in there, but it's really difficult when you see a player exposed like that and you give him a push right in the numbers at that distance."

Dylan Cozens, drafted seventh overall in 2019, is currently in his rookie year and has been playing on the top line alongside Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins went on to Defeat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.

Evgeni Malkin opened up the scoring when Kasperi Kapanen faked out Johansson, hit him with a quick drop pass and he smashed it topshelf. Brandon Tanev would light the lamp next, after receiving a perfect stretch pass from Teddy Blueger right on the tape. Then came Sidney Crosby who was working down low, behind the net on a power play and set up Jake Guentzel for a perfect one-timer. After that Anthony Angello juggled the puck to himself, dropped it and broke in to rip one topshelf making it 4-2.  To cap off the night, Bryan Rust came in and nailed his patented empty-netter shot.