Hurricanes beat Kraken 4-1 in Helsinki’s NHL Global Series Finland opener as Berkly Catton updates on experience

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken have paused their North American portion of the NHL schedule to play two games at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki for the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland, with Carolina taking the first contest Thursday by a 4-1 score. The teams are set to meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with the game carried by HHN and Prime Video, and also simulcast on CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN and SN1.

For Seattle, the series is also an on-the-ground experience organized around the league’s international stop, and Kraken forward Berkly Catton is using NHL.com’s Global Series Finland blog to document what it has been like to play in Finland for the first time. In his third entry for the NHL.com global series blog, Catton described the start of the game at Veikkaus Arena as energetic and memorable, saying the atmosphere on opening warmups felt “pretty cool,” and that “it was really fun” as the teams came out for warmup.

Catton’s update also highlighted the sense of special significance he said he could feel from Finnish players and fans present in the building. He pointed to Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko and to Hurricanes players Ville Ottavainen and Jani Nyman, noting that Finnish fans “love their hockey,” and that it was “pretty cool to watch” them see the NHL level and the Finnish players on both rosters.

On the ice, Catton said the Kraken struggled from early on, characterizing Seattle as “chasing” the play and the Hurricanes as being “on top” of them “all night.” He did not provide tactical specifics in the NHL.com entry, but he framed the opening game as a learning opportunity that will be addressed in the Kraken’s preparation for the rematch, indicating Seattle will practice on Friday before being ready again for Saturday night.

Carolina’s performance in the opener was described by Catton from Seattle’s perspective as a sign of readiness and execution. He said the Hurricanes were “going” and that Seattle did not “love our game tonight.” Catton also connected that performance to the broader context of Carolina’s recent championship success, noting that the Hurricanes “won the Stanley Cup last season,” and stating that Seattle needs to improve in order to compete at that level.

In addition to Seattle’s overall assessment of the game, Catton’s blog entry attributed a significant part of keeping the Kraken within striking distance to goaltender Philipp Grubauer. He said the team “credit[s]” Grubauer, describing him as keeping Seattle in the game and stating Grubauer has been “unreal this year,” while also saying he “stood on his head again tonight.” Catton acknowledged that the Kraken would prefer not to require that many saves, but he said the goaltending was there when called upon.

Despite Seattle’s loss in the opener, Catton’s NHL.com update emphasized that the atmosphere at Veikkaus Arena and the overall fan experience remained a highlight. He said the fans were energetic, and that the presence of Seattle supporters in Helsinki was noticeable, including seeing some Kraken fans “walking around the city.” Catton reported having conversations with traveling fans and said he could “hear how loud they were,” calling that element “pretty special” and describing it as meaningful to the players.

The Global Series Finland stop is part of the NHL’s broader outreach to international audiences, and the Thursday result sets a clear baseline for what comes next. With the opener decided 4-1 and the rematch scheduled for Saturday afternoon ET, the Kraken’s preparation—highlighted in Catton’s remarks—will be the immediate next storyline for Seattle as it looks to respond to the Hurricanes’ level of play at Veikkaus Arena.

In a related Global Series Finland tie-in, the NHL.com entry also states that game-worn jerseys from both the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken from the 2026 Global Series Finland are available on NHL Auctions. The same notice indicates pucks are also included from practices, warmups and games in Helsinki.