The NHL’s Global Series brought the league to Helsinki, and the Finnish crowd got plenty to cheer about - even if the night ended badly for the Kraken.
A sold-out crowd of 12,523 packed the building for what was technically a Seattle home game, with fans from both Europe and North America making their voices heard. But the loudest reactions belonged to the home-country players on both sides: Sebastian Aho, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Juuso Välimäki for Carolina, plus Kaapo Kakko, Jani Nyman, and Ville Ottavinen for Seattle.
In his pre-game remarks, Gary Bettman said the league was staging the event for European fans, and the atmosphere made that point pretty clear. Finland showed up in force, and the night had the feel of a showcase for the country’s hockey base.
On the ice, though, Seattle never really found its footing.
Lane Lambert said after the game that the Kraken had a plan and failed to follow 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
The first period set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring for Carolina, and Seattle’s unsuccessful challenge for goaltender interference only made things worse.
The failed challenge sent the Kraken to the penalty kill, and Sebastian Aho cashed in with a power-play goal. By the end of the period, Carolina had controlled the puck battles and held a 15-6 edge in shots on goal.
Seattle did show more life in the second period, but Carolina kept pressing. At the 10-minute mark, Juuso Välimäki added another goal to make it 3-0.
The third period brought a little less volume from Carolina, but the damage was already done. Sebastian Aho scored again, putting the Hurricanes on the doorstep of a shutout before Freddy Gaudreau broke through for Seattle’s lone goal of the night.
Carolina finished with a 4-1 win.
Philipp Grubauer was Seattle’s best player, according to the recap, and he spent the night absorbing a heavy shot load while coming up with several strong saves. Still, the biggest winners were the Finns, who saw three of the game’s goals scored by players from their country and heard plenty of interviews and videos delivered in their native tongue.
And for one visitor, Helsinki itself was part of the payoff. The city’s architecture stood out, the people were welcoming, and the trip was worth it - even if the result on the ice was not.