Filip Forsberg and Adam Wilsby are accustomed to an eight-hour flight more than most.

The two Swedes on the Predators roster didn’t have much trouble falling asleep for the journey that started shortly after Nashville began their three-game road trip on Monday night in New York at Madison Square Garden.

And as they sat down at the podium inside Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Tuesday afternoon, the two couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of playing NHL games in their home country.

“We’re ready to go,” Forsberg grinned.

Suffice to say he and his Preds teammates are equal parts excited for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play for an NHL team in Europe while also realizing what’s at stake in the process.

The Predators arrived in Stockholm on Tuesday having dropped their last five contests, including a 6-3 decision against the Rangers on Monday night. Matthew Wood’s first career hat trick was a bright spot, but the final result on the scoreboard wasn’t the ideal scenario.

At this juncture of the calendar with the season just over a month old, the Preds realize they not only need to string together consistent efforts, but they simply want to get back into the win column.

An excursion like this could be just what Nashville needs, and that’s the hope as they prepare to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and Sunday in the 2025 NHL Global Series.

“For the group, I think it’s refreshing in a lot of different ways,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Tuesday in Sweden. “We get to take a step back. We’ve played, I think, nine [games] in 16 nights, lots of travel, some back to backs. Obviously a tough loss last night, some tough losses along the way, where we played pretty well and didn’t get results. So, I think for us, [we] just [want to] take a step back… As a group, it’s a great opportunity to bond together. These are types of things in a season that you could really take advantage of as a group, as a team. These could be defining moments, and for us, I hope it is a defining moment.”

As a coach, Brunette is also appreciative of the opportunity for Wilsby and Forsberg to not only play in Sweden, but to do so in front of people who would normally have to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to watch a live hockey game on television.

“To be able to come back to your home country, play in front of your friends and family and countrymen, is always special, especially for the European guys that played all season in North America,” Brunette said. “To have the opportunity to come do that is pretty special, pretty cool.”

The Predators are hoping to make the journey even more special by collecting points in the standings while finding a way to bond in a way that only a trip halfway across the world could bring.

And regardless of how well-versed each respective player is at handling jet lag, they’ll be ready to go come Friday night.

“I think this is certainly a combination of [wanting to have fun but also wanting to win],” Forsberg said. “It hasn’t been the start that we’re looking for, especially the last few games that haven’t gone our way. But a trip like this is something that could really make the team even stronger. Obviously we have a couple days until the first game on Friday, and we’re going to have some fun and put some work in to get ready for that. But overall, I think we’ve just got to kind of flush what happened this past weekend and bring a lot of excitement. That’s how I’m going to approach this week, and I’m sure that everyone else is equally excited.”