Konsta Helenius scored the first three points of his NHL career and the Buffalo Sabes withstood a relentless comeback push by the Nashville Predators to win 5-3 at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.
Helenius assisted on two goals for Noah Ostlund before scoring a goal of his own with a well-placed shot on the rush late in the first period. Buffalo’s early 3-0 lead was built by a line that included first-round picks selected in three consecutive years: Ostlund (2022), Zach Benson (2023) and Helenius (2024).
Helenius became the first player in Sabres history to record a 3-point outing within his first two NHL games, according to Sportsnet Stats. The 19-year-old made his NHL debut in Carolina on Monday.
Tage Thompson’s 26th goal extended the Sabres' lead to 4-0 early in the second period and prompted the Predators to pull goaltender Juuse Saros, who’d made 14 saves.
The change may have sparked a momentum change, as the Predators went on to earn a 12-3 advantage in high-danger chances over the last 40 minutes (according to Natural Stat Trick). Ryan O’Reilly (2+1) and Filip Forsberg (1+2) engineered a comeback, cutting the Sabres’ lead to 4-3 midway through the third period.
Beck Malenstyn came up with a crucial blocked shot with 3:30 remaining (which forced him to exit the game), then Peyton Krebs scored an empty-net goal from his own blue line to give the Sabres desperately needed cushion late.
Alex Lyon made his first appearance in goal since Dec. 29 and stopped 31 of 34 shots. The goaltender had been out with a lower-body injury.
With the win, the Sabres leapt the Bruins (who lost 6-2 in Dallas) back into the first wild card spot. They’re four points behind their next opponent, the Canadiens, for third place in the Atlantic Division.
