Hurricanes, Kraken Set to Face Off in Finland

The NHL is headed back to Finland for the 2026-27 season.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken, both of which have several Finnish players on their rosters, will play against one another in Helsinki, Finland, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14. The league previously announced that it would also be playing two games in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, with the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks set to participate.

The @NHL and @NHLPA, together with Live Nation, announced the 2026 #NHLGlobalSeries Finland today, a pair of regular-season games between the @Canes and @SeattleKraken at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland, November 12 and November 14, 2026.

More details:… pic.twitter.com/ezasSBXtoH
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 23, 2026

The NHL has long been playing regular-season games in Europe. This latest batch of matchups will be the 13th season, and the fifth in a row, that the league has made the trip overseas for hockey. Finland has hosted the majority of the 48 contests that have been played abroad — 11 games have taken place in the country. It will now be up to the Hurricanes and Kraken to cement their places in history as teams that have won games outside Canada and the United States.

Seattle’s First Overseas Opportunity

Dec 4, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Seattle Kraken right winger Kappo Kakko (84) is seen on the ice during the during the pre game warm up as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Seattle Kraken before the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images | Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

In its brief history, Seattle has never played a game outside North America. Now that it has the opportunity to do so, one player in particular, forward Kaapo Kakko, a Finland native, is happy to play at home.

“I was always thinking that it would be fun to play there in Finland in front of all of my family and friends,” Kakko said. “Now, I’ll get to do that, so I’m really excited about it.”

The same can be said for two Hurricanes: star Sebastian Aho and center Jesperi Kotkaniemi. While Aho had the opportunity to represent Finland at the Olympics, which likely evoked strong emotions, it must be a special type of feeling to play in front of his fellow countrymen in his home nation.

Of course, Finnish fans, who don’t often get the opportunity to watch their favorite NHL stars due to the time difference, will now get the opportunity to view them up close at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki. That arena is no stranger to hosting NHL events — the 2018 Global Series between the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets was played at the venue — making it a fantastic place to watch the best hockey players in the world showcase their abilities on an international stage.

Global Series Finland Set for November

Game one of the 2026 Global Series Finland will take place on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. EET. Game two will be on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. EET. Both contests will be broadcast internationally on NHL.TV and DAZN.

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