Highlights

Finns for the win

Let’s get the good out of the way first.

The NHL put on a good show for the Finns. The Global Series is a way to reach out to hockey fans who aren’t in North America by hosting NHL games in countries around the world. This time, we’re in Helsinki.

Both fandoms were well represented for what was technically a Kraken home game. Fans from Europe and North America all cheered loudly for their teams. But it was Finnish fans that had the most to celebrate.

The Finnish crowd roared mightily at their countrymen: Sebastian Aho, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Juuso Välimäki for Carolina; Kaapo Kakko, Jani Nyman, and Ville Ottavinen for Seattle. They played in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,523.

In his pre-game presser, Gary Bettman stated that the NHL was doing this for the European fans. And with hockey as popular as it is in Finland, it’s a shame they don’t get to see more of The Show. This one was for them.

Now, onto the bad.

First period

In his post-game presser, Lane Lambert stated that they had a plan and didn’t stick to it.

“We had a plan coming in. I don’t think we stuck to it very well.

Mentally we have to be better prepared.”

-#SeKraken coachLane Lambert
#NHLGlobalSeries https://t.co/V8tShbnu1q

— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨’ 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 (@DavyJonesLR) November 12, 2026

It was evident something was awry when, in the first period, Nikolaj Ehlers scored a Carolina goal, followed by an unsuccessful Kraken challenge of goaltender interference. This put the Kraken on the penalty kill and lead to a power-play goal for Carolina’s Sebastian Aho.

During that first period, the Hurricanes looked relentless and the Kraken couldn’t seem to win puck battles. When the period ended, Seattle had 6 shots on goal while Carolina had 15.

Second period and third periods

In the second period, Seattle picked up energy and didn’t look quite so sluggish. Didn’t matter, though, because Carolina kept the pressure coming. At 10 minutes into the second, Juuso Välimäki put up another goal for a 3 to 0 lead.

The third period saw a little less shooting from Carolina, but when it works, it works: Sebastian Aho scored his second goal of the night and it looked like Carolina might get the shutout. That particular crisis was averted, however, when Freddy Gaudreau scored the Kraken’s first and only goal of the night.

Carolina won, 4 to 1.

The big winners

All told, it looked like Philipp Grubauer was the Kraken’s best player. He was peppered with shots all night and had some great saves.

The biggest winners of all, though, were the Finns. Finnish players scored three of the total goals and entertained the local crowd all night with interviews and videos in their native tongue.

Finally, I must mention that Helsinki has been a great city to visit. The architecture is beautiful and the people are welcoming. One could say I won: I might not have seen this city had it not been for the Global Series, but I’m glad I did.