- Konsta Helenius scored 10:42 into overtime to beat Switzerland 1-0 in the gold-medal final
- Justus Annunen turned aside all 22 Swiss shots for the shutout in Zurich
- Read below for full details on Finland’s fifth Worlds title and Helenius’s second straight tournament-winner
Konsta Helenius did it again.
The 20-year-old Sabres center scored the golden goal Sunday night in Zurich, beating Switzerland 1-0 in overtime to deliver Finland its fifth IIHF World Championship.
Helenius wheeled into the right circle 10:42 into the extra period and ripped a shot past Leonardo Genoni for the only goal of the game. Finland’s 27th shot of the night was the one that ended it. Anton Lundell and Mikko Lehtonen drew the assists.
The Sabres broke the news to their fans in real time:
That’s two straight tournament-winning goals for Helenius. He potted the game-winner in Finland’s 4-2 semifinal upset over Canada three days earlier, and now this.
Three goals, three assists, six points across six games. Pretty good debut on the senior stage.
Catch the only goal of the gold-medal game here:
Justus Annunen handled the rest. The Avalanche goaltender stopped all 22 Swiss shots, including a 5-on-3 Switzerland advantage that bled from the end of the first period into the start of the second. Switzerland could not solve him.
Finland’s title also runs through captain Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers center missed all of Florida’s 2025-26 season after major knee surgery and got back on the ice for this tournament. He led the Finns with 11 points (3G, 8A) across 10 games.
Switzerland, meanwhile, watched a third straight silver slip away in front of its own crowd. The Czechs blanked them 2-0 in 2024 and the United States beat them in overtime last year. This one stung worst — at home, in regulation, with goals impossible to come by.
There’s a fun wrinkle for Buffalo fans, too. Tage Thompson scored the golden goal for Team USA last year. Helenius did it for Finland this year. The Sabres are responsible for the last two overtime winners in IIHF gold-medal games.
Buffalo took Helenius 14th overall in 2024 and signed him to a three-year entry-level deal last summer. The Sabres were still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when this tournament started. Their rookie center heads into the offseason as a world champion.
