The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t just finish the job in Helsinki. They turned the second half of the NHL Global Series into another clinic.
After beating Seattle 4-1 on Thursday to open the trip, Carolina came back on Saturday and put together another controlled, wire-to-wire effort, rolling past the Kraken 5-1 to complete the sweep. Sebastian Aho, back in Finland for a homecoming showcase, scored twice in the opener. This time, the scoring spread wider, with Andrei Svechnikov and Mark Jankowski each netting two goals as the Canes kept the pressure on for all 60 minutes.
There was also a notable return in the lineup. Jordan Staal, out since October 10, was back for the first time in a month and immediately gave Carolina its captain and a key all-situations presence.
Pyotr Kochetkov got the start in goal after a week away from the crease. Seattle handed Jagger Firkus his NHL debut, and Joey Daccord started in net.
Carolina’s power play set the tone early. The Hurricanes couldn’t cash in on an early 5-on-3, but they shook it off and struck midway through the first period when Aho slipped a pass into the slot for Jackson Blake, who finished to extend his point streak to 11 games. Late in the period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi set up Jankowski’s one-timer, giving Carolina a 2-0 cushion at the break.
The second period belonged to Svechnikov. He scored twice from the right dot on the man advantage, first with a low shot early in the frame and then again after Matty Beniers briefly got Seattle on the board. That second Svechnikov goal chased Daccord and kept Carolina firmly in command at 4-1 after 40 minutes.
The Hurricanes weren’t satisfied with that margin. Early in the third, Taylor Hall, on his 35th birthday, fed Jankowski for a tap-in that made it 5-1. Carolina kept pushing after that, but the score didn’t change again.
The special teams work was the difference, and then some. Carolina scored on three straight power-play chances after the early miss on the 5-on-3, and the penalty kill stayed spotless as well.
Seattle’s best chance on the man advantage came up empty, including one sequence that ended with Mackie Samoskevich ringing the post. The Kraken’s penalty kill also had no answer for Carolina once the Hurricanes got rolling.
Blake’s night stood out again. His first-period power-play goal pushed his point streak to 11 games, tying him for the sixth-longest run in Hurricanes history.
Only Connor McDavid has a longer point streak in the NHL this season. Blake now has 21 points in 21 games, and he’s doing it with a kind of puck control that keeps making life look easy.
The numbers from the two-game set tell the story. Carolina outscored Seattle 9-2 and outshot the Kraken 67-26.
In Saturday’s game alone, the Hurricanes piled up more than 90 shot attempts. Both first periods set the tone, with Carolina jumping out to a 4-0 combined edge in goals across the two games.
The box score was packed with production. Nikolaj Ehlers finished with five points.
Aho and Svechnikov each had two goals and an assist. All three Finns on the roster recorded points.
Jankowski’s pair of goals pushed him into double digits. The defense helped fuel the offense, too.
Over six periods in Finland, Carolina handled business and then some.
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