Rookie Konsta Helenius fuels Sabres' victory with his first NHL goal and two assists, overshadowing the Predators' efforts.
The Nashville Predators (23-22-4) couldn’t quite get out of their own way Friday night, falling 5-3 to the Buffalo Sabres (27-17-5) as rookie Konsta Helenius delivered a coming-out performance.
Helenius, Buffalo’s No. 14 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored his first NHL goal and added two assists for the first three points of his career, factoring into three of the Sabres’ five goals.
At 19 years old, Helenius became the youngest Finnish player to score his first NHL goal since Kaapo Kakko in 2019.
Nashville had stretches where it carried play and generated looks, but breakdowns in coverage and slow reads off the rush kept tilting the ice back toward Buffalo.
Each time the Predators started to build momentum, the Sabres found a way to answer, with Helenius at the center of it.
"We had the momentum and control of the game, but just the hole we dug was too deep," Center Ryan O'Reilly said. "We're gonna have times where we lose momentum, and things don't go our way, but to do it for a full period that's not us. You can't be doing that. It's too tough."
The rookie Helenius also became the seventh Finnish teenager in NHL history to record a three-point game, joining names like Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho and Aleksander Barkov.
The Predators pushed late and made the scoreline respectable, but the early damage proved too much to overcome. Nashville will look for a cleaner start and tighter defensive execution as it continues its homestand.
"You learn from it, move on," head coach Andrew Brunette said. "Obviously, we're disappointed. There's no consolation, but you saw the team we can be when we get going."
Up next: Ottawa Senators (23-19-7, 8th Atlantic) at Nashville Predators (23-22-4, 5th Central) on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena.