Helenius scores golden goal for Finland at Worlds

Konsta Helenius scored the golden goal in overtime to clinch a 1-0 victory for Finland in its gold medal game against Switzerland at the IIHF World Championship on Sunday.

Helenius wheeled around the offensive zone and buried a shot from the inside edge of the right circle for his third goal and sixth point in six games at the tournament. He’d previously scored the winning goal in the semifinal against Canada.

The forward became one of Finland’s top players after joining the team at the conclusion of Buffalo’s playoff run. He played right wing on the top line alongside NHL veterans Aleksander Barkov and Mikael Granlund.

The tournament caps a strong season for the 20-year-old. Helenius scored 63 points in 63 AHL games with Rochester, saw his first NHL action during a nine-game stint with Buffalo, then thrived upon returning to the Sabres’ lineup during the playoffs.

Helenius scored two goals in Buffalo’s second-round playoff series against Montreal and impressed coach Lindy Ruff with his two-way ability.

“It was a great showing by him in that Montreal series,” Ruff told Sabres Live last Thursday. “… You look at him now on the world stage playing the world championships and playing so well, I’m not surprised. Because he played with a really good group of players here, he played against a really solid team, and he played really well.”

This is the second straight year the World Championship has ended off the stick of a Sabres player. Tage Thompson scored the overtime winner to capture the gold medal for Team USA in 2025.