For the third time in franchise history, the Nashville Predators are going international.
On Nov. 11, the Predators will land in Stockholm ahead of a two-game series against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena. The first game is on Nov. 14 (1 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) and the second game is on Nov. 16 (8 a.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
The event is part of the NHL’s Global Series, which featured the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars in November 2024 in Helsinki.
Previous journeys outside of North America for the Predators included a two-game series against the San Jose Sharks in 2022 in Prague and a two-game series in 2000 against the Penguins in Tokyo.
Predators’ Filip Forsberg, Penguins’ Erik Karlsson headline Swedish stars returning home
The matchup between Nashville (5-9-4, 14 points) and Pittsburgh (9-5-3, 21 points) features two prominent Swedish NHL stars: Filip Forsberg and Erik Karlsson, respectively.
Forsberg, 31, is the Predators’ all-time leading goal scorer with 325. The Ostervala native was acquired by Nashville in 2013 in a trade with the Washington Capitals and has since played 798 games in 14 seasons. This season, Forsberg has seven goals and seven assists through 18 games.
As a youth hockey player, Forsberg played for Leksands IF in the Swedish league before being drafted No. 11 overall by the Capitals in 2012. He also has appeared in 30 games for the Swedish national team, scoring 13 goals and eight assists.
Karlsson, 35, is a three-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. A Landsbro native, Karlsson has 882 points in 1,101 career games for the Penguins, Sharks and Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh acquired Karlsson in a trade with the Sharks on Aug. 6, 2023. This season, he has one goal and 11 assists in 17 games.
Karlsson grew up playing with Frolunda HC before the Senators selected him No. 15 overall in 2008. He has appeared in 41 games for Sweden’s national team, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists.
Other Swedish players on the trip include Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby and Penguins forwards Filip Hallander and Rickard Rakell. Hallander and Rakell are currently on injured reserve and are not expected to play.
NHL Global Series in Stockholm: Schedule of events
All times CET (Central European Time is seven hours ahead of the U.S. Central Time Zone)
Tuesday, Nov. 11: Penguins practice at Hovet Arena with media availability (12:30 p.m.); Predators media availability at Avicii Arena (2 p.m.)Wednesday, Nov. 12: Predators practice at Hovet Arena with media availability (10:30 a.m.)Thursday, Nov. 13: Penguins practice at Avicii Arena with media availability (11 a.m.)Friday, Nov. 14: Penguins (away) vs. Predators (home) at Avicii Arena (8 p.m.)Saturday, Nov. 15: Predators practice at Avicii Arena (11 a.m.); Penguins practice at Avicii Arena (12:30 p.m.)Sunday, Nov. 16: Predators (away) vs. Penguins (home) at Avicii Arena (3 p.m.)
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.