NHL star's fiancée makes emotional return after undergoing harrowing heart transplant ordeal

The fiancée of Buffalo Sabres prima Rasmus Dahlin received a roaring invited location successful her archetypal quality of the play Wednesday night, months aft undergoing a lifesaving transplant aft she suffered bosom nonaccomplishment during a abrogation successful France.

Carolina Matovac, 25, was shown connected the jumbotron during Wednesday’s crippled against the Boston Bruins. Fans cheered arsenic she waved, and Dahlin, who was besides shown connected the surface successful a split, cracked a grin astatine the crowd's reaction.  

Carolina Matovac and Rasmus Dahlin (26) of the Buffalo Sabres airs connected the reddish carpet astatine the Metro Toronto Convention Centre successful Toronto, Ontario, Canada, connected Feb. 1, 2024. (Nicole Osborne/NHLI via Getty Images)

"Welcome location to Carolina Matovac, the fiancée of our skipper Rasmus Dahlin," the arena announcer said. "She is backmost with us, attending her archetypal crippled of the season. The Sabrehood loves you, Carolina." 

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In an unfastened missive to fans successful September, Dahlin shared that Matovac had been feeling sick for respective days during their trip, which led to her experiencing "major bosom failure."

"Fortunately, she received CPR connected aggregate occasions, and up to a mates of hours astatine a clip to support her alive, which yet saved her life. Without her receiving lifesaving CPR, the effect would person been unimaginable. It is hard to adjacent deliberation astir the worst-case scenario," helium wrote astatine the time. 

Rasmus Dahlin (26) of the Buffalo Sabres prepares for a faceoff during an NHL crippled against the New York Rangers astatine KeyBank Center successful Buffalo, New York, connected Oct. 9, 2025. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Matovac remained connected beingness enactment for weeks earlier receiving the transplant successful France.

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In January, Matovac revealed that she was large erstwhile her bosom failed, adding that her unborn kid was the crushed she went to the infirmary initially. 

"You volition ever clasp a peculiar spot successful our hearts arsenic our archetypal baby, adjacent though we ne'er had the accidental to meet. Our emotion for you is endless," she wrote successful a station connected Instagram connected what was expected to beryllium her owed date.

"Though you didn’t get to acquisition this world, you played a captious relation successful ensuring that I could proceed to beryllium a portion of it." 

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) follows the puck successful the archetypal play against the Ottawa Senators astatine the Canadian Tire Centre successful Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, connected April 1, 2025. (Marc DesRosiers/Imagn Images)

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Despite taking immoderate clip to beryllium with Matovac arsenic she recovered successful their autochthonal Sweden, Dahlin is 2nd connected the squad with 65 points arsenic the Sabres are connected the cusp of ending an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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