Konsta Helenius recorded the first three points of his NHL career as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Nashville Predators 5-3 at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday. Helenius, who made his NHL debut one day earlier, assisted on two goals by Noah Ostlund and scored a goal himself late in the first period. The line featuring Ostlund, Zach Benson, and Helenius—all recent first-round picks—was responsible for building an early 3-0 lead for Buffalo.
According to Sportsnet Stats, Helenius became the first player in Sabres history to have a three-point game within his first two NHL appearances. The 19-year-old’s performance contributed significantly to Buffalo’s win.
Tage Thompson added his 26th goal of the season early in the second period, increasing Buffalo’s lead to 4-0 and leading Nashville to replace goaltender Juuse Saros after he made 14 saves. Following this change, Nashville gained momentum and out-chanced Buffalo in high-danger opportunities over the final two periods.
Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg led Nashville’s comeback attempt, narrowing the gap to 4-3 midway through the third period. Beck Malenstyn blocked a key shot with just over three minutes left but had to leave the game due to injury. Peyton Krebs then secured Buffalo’s victory with an empty-net goal.
Goaltender Alex Lyon returned from injury for his first appearance since December 29 and stopped 31 of 34 shots faced.
With this win, Buffalo moved ahead of Boston into the first wild card spot in their conference standings. They now trail Montreal by four points for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres will continue their road trip against Montreal on Thursday.
