Hurricanes, Kraken set to play 2 NHL games in Finland in 2026

The NHL will be continuing the Global Series in 2026-27. The NHL has announced that the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will be playing in Europe next season.

The Kraken and Hurricanes will play on November 12 and November 14 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland, according to a release from the Hurricanes.

The first game is set for a 12 pm ET puck drop, while game two is a 1 pm ET puck drop. In 2026, Finland and Germany will both host games. This is the 13th season overall and the fifth straight season that the NHL has held regular-season games in Europe.

Veikkaus Arena, which was formerly known as Hartwall Arena, has hosted seven previous NHL games. This will not be the first time the Hurricanes have played in the regular season outside of North America. They played two games in October 2010, also in Helsinki. In the first game was a 4-3 victory for the Canes over the Minnesota Wild. The second was a 2-1 shootout victory for the Canes over the Wild. The Hurricanes are also led by Sebastian Aho, who is from Finland. Meanwhile, Jesperi Kotkaniemi is also Finnish.

Meanwhile, the Kraken have never played in an international game. They do have an international player from Finland, as Kaapo Kakko was born in Finland.

The last time international games were held in Finland was in 2024. Those games were held in Tampere, Finland, between the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars. Both games were won by the Panthers.  The last time games were held in Helsinki was in 2018 between the Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets.

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