Konsta Helenius recorded his first NHL goal and added two assists as the Buffalo Sabres held off a late push to defeat the Nashville Predators, 5-3, on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Helenius, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, earned his first three career points in just his second NHL game after making his debut Monday in Carolina. Noah Ostlund scored twice for Buffalo, while Peyton Krebs added a goal and an assist as the Sabres snapped a brief two-game skid to improve to 27-17-5.
Buffalo built a commanding lead early. Ostlund opened the scoring at 8:11 of the first period, finishing a rebound created by a Rasmus Dahlin shot that deflected off Helenius. Ostlund struck again less than four minutes later on another rebound, this time off a shot from Helenius. Helenius capped the first-period surge with his first NHL goal at 17:24, wiring a wrist shot from the slot on the rush to give Buffalo a 3-0 lead.
Tage Thompson extended the margin to 4-0 early in the second period, chasing Nashville starter Juuse Saros. The Predators responded with goals from Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg to cut the deficit to 4-2, then pulled within one on O’Reilly’s second goal midway through the third.
Alex Lyon, returning from a lower-body injury, finished with 32 saves to steady the Sabres. Krebs sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:14.
Next, the Sabres visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].