Kaapo Kakko returned to his hometown area as the Seattle Kraken lost 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Veikkaus Arena in the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.
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Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko said he had “around 20” family members and friends waiting for him at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki on Thursday, after the Kraken were defeated 4-1 by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.
Despite the result, Kakko described the occasion as something he had been looking forward to since the NHL announced in March that the Kraken would play two games against Carolina in his home country. The 25-year-old forward noted it made the trip easier for people from his hometown of Turku, including grandparents who had never previously visited North America to see him play.
The Hurricanes took control early, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the opening 12:50 after a failed goalie interference challenge by Seattle on the first goal led to a power play, and following up with another score. Seattle spent the rest of the night trying to catch up but never closed the gap.
Carolina outshot the Kraken 30-13 and held an 84-37 edge in shot attempts, while Frederick Gaudreau’s goal with 6:45 remaining prevented Seattle from being shut out. Philipp Grubauer’s play helped keep the final score from being more lopsided, Kakko said, adding, “It could have been way worse.”
Kakko also had to watch fellow Finnish countryman Sebastian Aho score twice for Carolina and be named player of the game. “He played great, a couple goals,” Kakko said. “The whole team played great, so good for him.”
Before the game and during pregame moments, Kakko said the experience still had meaning. He received a loud ovation after being announced as the final player in Seattle’s starting lineup, and he also took the ceremonial opening face-off with Pekka Rinne dropping the puck. “Yeah, something special,” Kakko said. “The start, that was something we usually don’t have, the national anthem (from Finland), things like that.”
Kraken forward Berkly Catton said the Finnish fans’ enthusiasm was also felt by teammates from outside Finland. “The Finnish fans love their hockey,” Catton said. “So, for them to kind of see the NHL and, obviously, Kaapo, and then the guys from Finland on their team too was pretty cool to watch.”
Seattle (9-7-1) now turns to its next meeting with Carolina, with another game scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Kraken coach Lane Lambert said the team believes it can reach “another level,” acknowledging they did not get there on Thursday. “Disappointed that we didn’t,” Lambert said.
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