One day after scoring the game-winning goal to help Finland get past Canada and reach the Championship Game, Konsta Helenius delivered a gold medal for his team with the golden goal against Switzerland. That would be the only goal of the game as they would win 1-0 in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
Helenius really opened some eyes at the IIHF World Championship with his performance but isn't that surprising for the Buffalo Sabres or their fans. They got to see how good he is this past season, especially late in their playoff run.
He would appear in the final four games of the playoffs for the Sabres and scored two goals before joining Finland for the IIHF World Championship. Helenius continued his strong play with six points in six games, including goals in back-to-back games.
Buffalo Sabres now have had their players score the golden goal in the IIHF World Championship in back-to-back years
Helenius scored the game-winning goal in the Gold Medal Game of the IIHF World Championship one year after Tage Thompson accomplished it for Team USA. It is pretty remarkable for the Sabres now to have two players on their team accomplish such a feat in consecutive years.
Thompson's goal sparked an incredible season for him with the Sabres, as he would end up scoring 40 goals, which was the third time in the past four seasons. On top of that, he would go on to the Olympics and help Team USA win gold there as well.
While it remains to be seen where Konsta Helenius might line up, one thing is for sure, and that is Helenius is going to be with the Buffalo Sabres right from the start of the season. Last year, he spent most of the season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans and was a point-per-game player for them.
He did appear in nine regular season games for the Sabres and had four points with one goal and three assists. After the Amerks season ended, the Sabres called up Helenius as one of their black aces for the playoffs. He didn't appear until midway through the series with the Canadiens, but once he was on the ice, he provided a much-needed spark with goals in Game 5 and Game 6.
The Sabres are going to have options once next season rolls around as Helenius can play either center or wing. However, it might not matter where it lines up but will certainly be on the ice for that first game of the season for the Buffalo Sabres.
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