But at least his powers of perception are picking up accolades of late. In Yashin's absence, Kozlov is more than picking up where his Russian counterpart left off.
When the Washington Capitals' Matt Bradley collided with Yashin late in their game on Nov. 25, the pain brought the Isles' most indispensable player to his knees. With the prognosis for a two-to-four week hiatus, it appeared the Islanders might be brought to theirs as well.
Initially, head coach Ted Nolan moved Kozlov into Yashin's spot between Chris Simon and Jason Blake, a line which had provided the team with the lion's share of its offense. But that didn't last very long.
"Maybe playing with Blake, he felt more obligation to get [Kozlov] the puck," Nolan said. "It took away from his game a little bit and took away from Blake's game."
So he decided to switch Blake to a line with center Mike Sillinger, while Andy Hilbert joined Simon and Kozlov.
"Now Sillinger and Blake seem to be hitting it off pretty well," Nolan said, "and now Andy, he's just jamming the net and letting Viktor shoot, so it's a good mix."
That could be considered an understatement. After potting two goals in a 5-3 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday night, Kozlov stunned the Rangers at Madison Square Garden the following night, depositing four goals behind goaltenders Henrik Lundquist and Kevin Weekes in a 7-4 victory over the Blueshirts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the fifth player in NHL history to record six goals in road games on consecutive nights.
"I don't know what's happening with me," said Kozlov, who currently has 11 goals and nine assists in 26 games. "Maybe I'm starting to feel good with my linemates so I know where to be and they know where I am, but I don't know what's happening. I have no explanation for that."
Like Yashin, Kozlov has baffled coaches with his reluctance to shoot despite possessing a heavy, accurate shot. Nolan likened the approach he's taken with Yashin to the conversations he's had with Kozlov.
"It's funny," Nolan said, "[team owner Charles Wang] calls once in a while and one of the things we tried to do at the beginning of the year is get Yashin's game going. When we did, then all of a sudden he calls up and says, 'We've got to get Viktor going.' "
But Nolan, as is his style, demystifies his coaching methods, ensuring it's not rocket science.
"Probably the best coaching we've ever done in our lives is 'Victor, shoot the puck,’' " joked Nolan. "He has what I think is one of the best shots in the National Hockey League."
