Hurricanes, Kraken to face-off in Finland for NHL Global Series

The series will be held on Nov. 12 and 14 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki. It is Helsinki’s first time hosting an NHL game in eight years. The last game was between the Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers in the 2018 Global Series, where the teams split the series 1-1. Coincidentally, each team won its game 4-2.

The league now has four regular-season games overseas next season, as the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators will play in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Dec. 18 and 20.

A lot of high-level Finnish players will be playing in the matchup. Most notably, Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho, who leads the team in scoring with 72 points in 70 games this season. His teammate Jesperi Kotkaniemi is also expected to play; however, his name has been mentioned in trade rumors up until the March 6 deadline.

As for the Kraken, Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen both played alongside Aho in the Olympics for Finland. The Kraken duo combined for eight points at the Olympics.