Buffalo Sabres forward Rasmus Asplund is known more for his defense than he is for scoring, having recorded just 27 points in 2021-22.
The Buffalo Sabres have been well represented at the 2022 IIHF World Championships. Originally, Henri Jokiharju was going to join Team Finland, but COVID-19 protocols sidelined him. Either way, Rasmus Asplund and Dahlin are representing Sweden while John Hayden and Don Granato are repping the US. Dylan Cozens is also playing for Team Canada.
And so far in this tournament, the Sabres have hung back, letting others bask in the limelight. That is until yesterday when Rasmus Asplund came up huge for Team Sweden and found twine twice against Czechia and won Player of the Game Honors.
Buffalo Sabres forward Rasmus Asplund puts up a stellar performance for Team Sweden
Asplund showed tremendous heads-up ability on his first score of the afternoon. Making his way to the front of the net, he stayed at home as a left-pad save from Czechia caused an ensuing rebound. Emil Bemstrom poked the puck through traffic and toward Asplund, allowing him to find twine. Lucas Wallmark also received credit for an assist.
The second goal was Asplund’s most memorable. Working his way toward the blue line, he snagged long pass from Erik Gustafsson in full stride. His momentum allowed for a breakaway, and he flicked a wrist shot into twine to give Sweden a commanding lead.
Rasmus Asplund with two goals in Sweden's win today. https://t.co/jKCRLDPJB9
— Heather Engel (@engelheather) May 15, 2022
So far, the Sabres have been perfect at the IIHF Worlds and we will continue to wait and see if that trend continues heading into this week. As for Sweden, things will not get much easier as they play Great Britain (UK) on May 17th before a showdown with rival Finland.
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Regardless of the outcome, it has been quite the treat for Sabres fans to watch players like Asplund in the IIHF Worlds. Now the question is: Which Buffalo Sabre will pull off the next unforgettable performance?
(Statistics provided by IIHF.com)