4 Nations 'a dream come true' for Rasmus Dahlin

That play figures to have been Dahlin’s most memorable from the tournament. But the one that left the biggest mark, at least for now, might be his blocking a shot from Sabres teammate Henri Jokiharju.

“He said I shouldn’t have been blocking, because it was going in,” Dahlin said of the Finnish defenseman, who scored a 4 Nations goal of his own Thursday versus the U.S. "I’ll get him back when we get back (to Buffalo).”

While the 4 Nations Face-Off featured superior players, Dahlin likened it to his past international experiences, especially the World Juniors. Totaling one goal and seven assists in 14 World Juniors games between 2016-17 and 2017-18, he reflects on those tournaments as “unreal.”

Donning the yellow and blue for a locked-in audience back home is unlikely to ever get old for Dahlin. It hasn't yet, anyways.

“It’s a dream come true, for sure,” Dahlin said Monday morning. “It’s always an honor to represent Sweden. All the fans are back home and watching, and it’s a crazy thing going on right now.”

If 4 Nations has its intended effect, that enthusiasm will only grow for next February’s Winter Olympics in Italy. Then, NHL players will take the Olympic stage for the first time since 2014. While rosters are far from set, Dahlin feels he deserves to make the cut. And nothing in this most recent tournament, or in his 42-point performance with the Sabres thus far in 2024-25, has suggested otherwise.

“Olympics is something you always want to do,” he said. “I’ve been to one already, and it’s the coolest thing ever. So I would love to do that.”