HELSINKI (AP) — Patrik Laine could hardly find a better place than home to show off his high-scoring instincts.Laine Richard Panik Jersey , from Finland, had a hat trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 in a regular-season game in the Finnish capital Thursday night.Laine scored in the second period and twice in the third, including an empty-netter, in the opener of a back-to-back series between the teams in front of a roaring sellout crowd of 13,500 at Hartwall Arena.“I don’t think you can imagine how good that feels,” Laine said. “It’s good to be home and score all those goals back here. It’s pretty awesome.”Laine wristed a shot past James Reimer on a power play for a 2-1 lead with 4:46 left in the second, then slapped a one-timer for the winner on a two-man advantage from atop the left circle 3:28 into the third. He scored on an empty net for his fifth career hat trick.Mathieu Perreault scored the opening goal for the Jets (8-4-1), and captain Blake Wheeler and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien had three assists each. The Panthers (2-5-3), who outshot Winnipeg 38-36, tied the score twice on goals by Keith Yandle and Evgenii Dadonov.Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, also a native of Finland, assisted on Yandle’s goal.“Overall, as a team, we played good in their zone,” Barkov said. “We have another game (Friday), and we have to concentrate on that.”Laine, whose 44 goals were second to Alex Ovechkin’s 49 last season for the NHL lead http://www.officialsabres.com/authentic-adidas-jack-eichel-jersey , had just three goals and two assists in 12 games.“Tonight was a good example of what we see from (Laine) so often,” Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. “He scored three, but I think he could have had seven. I’m just so happy for him and his family that he can have a night like this. It’s just outstanding.”The Panthers had the momentum in early stages, outshooting the Jets 9-0 in the opening minutes. They controlled the puck most of the opening period, but Connor Hellebuyck kept them at bay, turning back 18 shots in the opening frame.Hellebuyck denied Dadonov on a breakaway and helped the Jets kill a penalty before Perreault struck on the other side, scoring the go-ahead goal on a rebound with 1:26 remaining.“We generated a ton of chances,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said. “This is what it’s been like since the season started. We’re still trying to break through and get the offensive production going.”Yandle tied it with 15:42 left in the second period, firing a slap shot on a 4-on-3 power play.With an assist on Yandle’s goal, forward Mike Hoffman extended his point streak to eight games, and center Nick Bjugstad had the 100th assist of his career.The game was the 24th played in Europe during the regular season and the sixth in Finland. In October, the New Jersey Devils beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in their regular-season opener in Gothenburg, Sweden.UP NEXTThe Jets and the Panthers complete their two-game series in Helsinki on Friday.NOTESNHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL is planning to play a season-opening game in Prague and another two games in Stockholm next season. Speaking before the game in Helsinki on Thursday, Bettman said the league is planning to keep a presence in Europe in the future. BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) For all the buzz Rasmus Dahlin has generated at just 18, the Swedish defenseman joked he had never encountered a mob scene such as the one before him on Friday.There were as many as a dozen cameras and two dozen more reporters packed three- and four-deep surrounding Dahlin, seated on a stool at the NHL pre-draft scouting combine in Buffalo.”Yeah http://www.officialflames.com/authentic-adidas-sean-monahan-jersey , it’s pretty awesome actually,” Dahlin said, his blond hair offset by the jet-black suit he wore. ”It’s the first time so many cameras, I think. It’s fun. I love it.”Dahlin had better become accustomed to it, because the lean, play-making and smooth-skating blue-liner should remain the focus of attention in the days leading up to the NHL draft being held in Dallas in three weeks. That’s when Dahlin is projected to be the first overall pick and join Mats Sundin as the only other Swedish-born player to go No. 1.”If that happens, I would be so glad and proud,” Dahlin said, his eyes growing bigger at the mention of Sundin, who was selected No. 1 by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.At 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds, Dahlin is considered the most NHL-ready prospect in this year’s draft class for his all-around ability. He’s already drawing comparisons to other elite Swedish defensemen, such as former Detroit star and seven-time Norris Trophy-winner Nicklas Lidstrom and Ottawa captain and two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson.”All those characteristics they bring to the game, Dahlin has the same potential to bring those same characteristics,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr, told The Associated Press last week.”It’s not fair to compare him to those players, but everything that made them successful National Hockey League players, this kid has it in his game Mikkel Boedker Jersey Womens ,” Marr added. ”This here’s a player that could be a cornerstone to a franchise. And he’ll be a staple on their blue line for years and years to come.”It’s not just one aspect of Dahlin’s game in which he excels, Marr said. It’s all of them.Whether it’s hitting, scoring or defending, Marr said Dahlin has ”shown he can rise to the occasion or rise to perform whatever needs to be done for that situation.”And the significance of Dahlin being in Buffalo for the combine wasn’t lost on anyone, given the Sabres own the top pick .General manager Jason Botterill isn’t tipping his hand on whether he’ll select Dahlin, but coach Phil Housley has already been crowing about the youngster’s potential.”I’ve been watching on YouTube, and boy it’s incredible,” Housley, a Hall of Fame defenseman, told The Buffalo News last month. ”He’s going to be a complete package in today’s NHL.”Among the prospects ranked behind Dahlin by central scouting are Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov, who played in the Ontario Junior League last season, and Boston University’s Brady Tkachuk, the son of former NHL star Keith Tkachuk.Dahlin is taking nothing for granted in saying, he’s not sure of the Sabres’ intentions.”Of course, nothing is done,” he said. ”But yeah, if I’m coming here http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-patrick-roy-jersey , I would love to be here. I heard they have great fans and everybody loves hockey here.”Dahlin got his first taste of Buffalo’s hockey fans this past winter when he was part of Sweden’s silver medal-winning team at the World Junior hockey championships held in the city. Some five months later, the sting of a 3-1 loss to Canada in the championship game had mostly worn off.”At that moment it was pretty bad,” said Dahlin, one of four Swedish players disciplined by the International Ice Hockey Federation for refusing to wear the silver medal during the postgame ceremony. ”But now, if I look back to the tournament, it was a great tournament. It was awesome to be here. We had a great team. We were so close.”Dahlin was named the tournament’s top defenseman after finishing with six assists in seven games. At just 17, he then represented Sweden at the Winter Olympics, where he had an assist in two games. Add to that, Dahlin scored seven goals and 13 assists in 41 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League, and earned junior player of the year honors.”I went through so many great experiences. I’ve been to so many new places. I’ve grown as a guy, too,” Dahlin said attempting to put the year into perspective. ”I’m a teenager that’s growing every day just as a person.”Once the session with reporters ended, Dahlin made his way to a bank of windows overlooking Buffalo’s newly redeveloped inner harbor, and soaked in the view.—