Three Buffalo Sabres are expected to see action at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, with Finland taking on Team USA with defenseman Henri Jokiharju and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen possibly seeing action. In the opening game of the tournament, Buffalo Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin stood out against host Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

After falling behind 2-0 on goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand, Dahlin had one of the few highlights for Tre Kronor in the first period, slamming Connor McDavid down to the ice. In the middle frame, the two sides exchanged goals, but it could have been worse had not Dahlin pulled a puck away from the goal line after it got past Swedish goalie Filip Gustavsson.

The Swedes mounted a comeback in the third, tying the game on goals by Adrian Kempe and Joel Eriksson-Ek, but lost in overtime on a goal by Canada’s Mitch Marner. Dahlin finished the game playing 17:15 and was -1 on the night.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo