- Konsta Helenius scored the eventual game-winner late in the second period of Finland’s 4-2 semifinal win over Canada
- The 20-year-old Sabres prospect now has five points in five games skating mostly alongside Aleksander Barkov
- Watch video of Helenius’s breakaway snipe on Jet Greaves below
Buffalo’s 14th overall pick keeps padding the international résumé.
Konsta Helenius scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period of Finland’s 4-2 semifinal win over Canada on Saturday in Zurich, sending the Lions to a gold medal date with host Switzerland on Sunday. Mikael Granlund put a beautiful stretch pass on his tape behind Sam Dickinson, and the 20-year-old finished the job with a tidy dangle on Jet Greaves.
Video review confirmed the puck crossed the line before Greaves could slam the pads shut. Take a look at the goal in IIHF’s full game video:
That snipe made it 3-2 Finland at 31:36 of the middle frame and broke a tie that had stood since the opening period. Aatu Räty stuffed in an insurance goal 1:22 later, and Canada never recovered.
Helenius joined Finland for the back half of the tournament after Buffalo’s second-round Game 7 loss to Montreal. He’s been worth the call-up. Five points in five games, almost 18 minutes a night, mostly on the top line with captain Aleksander Barkov.
Pretty solid company for a kid who turned 20 earlier this month.
The Sabres took Helenius 14th overall in 2024 and signed him to a three-year entry-level deal last summer. He spent most of 2024-25 in Rochester, where he made the AHL Top Prospects Team, then cracked Buffalo’s opening night roster this season and stuck. The playoff debut against Montreal came up short, but the Worlds run has been a perfect cleanser.
Finland will play Switzerland for gold on Sunday in Zurich. The hosts blanked Norway 5-0 in the other semi to set up a home-soil final.
If Helenius can pot another one like that on the biggest stage of his career, Sabres fans will have one bright spot to chew on this offseason.
