Today was the first day men’s hockey would be played during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. For the first game, it was Slovakia against Finland, followed by Sweden against the home country, Italy. The Buffalo Sabres had two of their players in the tournament. Tage Thompson is representing Team USA, while Rasmus Dahlin is representing Sweden.
Rasmus Dahlin leads Team Sweden in points as they win 5-2 over Italy
For Dahlin, he picked up right where he left off for the Sabres this season. In the game, Sweden registered 60 shots on net. Yes, you read that right, 60 shots!! Rasmus Dahlin had five of those but more importantly, added three assists as the Swedes cruised to a 5-2 victory.
Over the course of the game, Dahlin was clearly Sweden’s best player, and he just keeps adding to his resumé. He was on a pair with Gustav Forsling, and the pair was very good against Italy. The good times keep rolling for Dahlin, and it’s great to see, as it’s been a challenging season for the Sabres defenseman.
Over the summer, Dahlin and his fiancée, Carolina, experienced a health scare. While they were in France, Carolina experienced major heart failure. Thanks to multiple CPR sessions, her life was saved. While she was recovering, Dahlin had to take a leave of absence during the season to be with his fiancée in late 2025.
What was a scary ordeal unfortunately got even worse. Last month, Carolina announced the loss of their unborn baby when she had her health issues in the summer. Despite all of this tragedy, Carolina has not only overcome these obstacles but somehow and someway, Rasmus Dahlin has stayed strong and is still playing at an elite level for the Sabres and now Team Sweden.
He was only 17 years old in his last Olympics, and to no surprise, he’s back for another go, and more visits to the international games will be in the future for the Swede. Dahlin and Sweden will be back in action on Friday against Finland. Tage Thompson will be the other Sabre in action as Team USA faces Latvia.