Preview: November 12 at Seattle

HELSINKI - Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall will play his 1,000th NHL game on Thursday, as his team takes the international stage against the Seattle Kraken.

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When: Thursday, November 12

Where: Veikkaus Arena

Puck Drop: 12:00 p.m. ET

How To Watch: Hurricanes Hockey Network, NHL Network (out-of-market) | Full Broadcast Info

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

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Canes Record: 14-3-2 (30 Points - 1st, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 9-2 Win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, Nov. 7

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Kraken Record: 9-6-1 (19 Points - 4th, Pacific Division)

Kraken Last Game: 4-3 Loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, Nov. 7

Last Time Out...

• The Canes sent themselves off on the trip in style, routing the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 9-2 on Saturday.
• Matching a team record (since relocation) with their nine-piece, 15 of the 18 skaters recorded at least one point for just the second time in team history.
• Sebastian Aho led the way with three points (1G, 2A), and Pyotr Kochetkov improved to 11-1 in net.

Right At Home...

• The Canes have three players who were born in Finland on their roster for today's game.
• Sebastian Aho was born in Rauma, Finland — 159 miles to the northwest, or roughly a three-hour drive from Helsinki.
• Jesperi Kotkaniemi was born in Pori, Finland —153 miles to the northwest, or roughly a three-hour drive from Helsinki.
• Juuso Välimäki was born in Tampere, Finland — 113 miles to the north, or just over a two-hour drive from Helsinki.

Go Fish...

• Sebastian Aho paced the effort on Saturday with three points, moving his team-leading total to 26 on the year. His 57th career three-point game tied Aleksander Barkov for the fourth-most by a Finnish player in NHL history. The list is topped by Jari Kurri (164 GP), Teemu Selanne (126 GP) and Mikko Rantanen (78 GP).
• With his goal, Aho reached the 10-goal milestone in 19 games or fewer for the second time in his career, joining the 2021-22 campaign. His 26 points are the most he has recorded in the first 19 games of a season, surpassing the 23 he notched in 2018-19.

Okay, KK...

• Injuries have opened the door for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to get some consistent playing time early in the season, and he's made the most of it.
• Exceeding his goal (2) and point (10) totals from last year, he's played in 17 of the team's 19 games, averaging 11:48 time on ice.

Global Series Fast Facts...

• The 2026 NHL Global Series marks the 49th and 50th regular season NHL games played outside North America.
• The Hurricanes will become the fourth reigning Stanley Cup winner to appear in a game outside North America in the season immediately following their championship. Stanley Cup winners own a 5-1-0 record overseas in the previous instances.
• Carolina (2-0-0) is one of five teams that have won all of their games contested outside North America, alongside the New Jersey Devils (3-0-0), St. Louis Blues (2-0-0), Toronto Maple Leafs (2-0-0) and Philadelphia Flyers (1-0-0). Should they remain victorious through the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland, the Hurricanes would become the first team in NHL history to win each of their first four regular season games outside North America.
• Sebastian Aho (CAR) and Kaapo Kakko (SEA) were teammates on Finland’s bronze medal-winning entry at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games – both players scored in Finland’s 6-1 victory over Slovakia in the bronze medal game.
• Half of all regular-season NHL games played outside North America have been decided by a one-goal margin or ended in a tie (50.0%; 24 of 48).
• Twelve NHL contests played overseas have gone past regulation. The last time an NHL game in Finland required overtime was when the Hurricanes earned a 2-1 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild in 2010.

Hall Hits 1,000...

• The first overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft, Taylor Hall will play his 1,000th NHL game today.
• Becoming the first player to reach the milestone outside North America, the 34-year-old hits it in his 17th season in the league.
• To read more about Hall's road to the benchmark, read his story here.

Blaker's Rolling...

• Forward Jackson Blake enters today's game with a career-best nine-game point streak (4G, 7A).
• With at least one point in each contest dating back to Oct. 20, the third-year pro sits second on the team with 19 points in 19 games.

Staal's Around The Corner...

• Carolina's captain, Jordan Staal, has been sidelined since suffering a calf tear in pre-game warm-ups on Sunday, Oct. 11, in Philadelphia. Getting back on the ice with the team on Saturday, Nov. 7, the 38-year-old is with the team and could be close to returning.

Done This Dance Before...

• The Canes have six players on their roster with experience playing an NHL game overseas.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere leads the way with three games played — one with Philadelphia in 2019 and two with Detroit in 2023. Nikolaj Ehlers, Eric Robinson, Jordan Staal, and Logan Stankoven have all played in a pair, and Taylor Hall dressed in one with New Jersey in 2018.

In Net...

• With four days since their last game, the option of going with either Brandon Bussi or Pyotr Kochetkov is on the table today.
• Kochetkov has had a remarkable start to the season, becoming just the 11th goalie in NHL history to win 11 of his first 12 games in a season. His .920 save percentage ranks tied for sixth among goalies who have played at least five games this season.
• Bussi, who won 11 of his first 12 starts last season, has backstopped the Canes to at least one point in the standings in four of his last five starts.

On The Other Side...

• Seattle arrives at the Global Series right around the middle of the pack of the standings in both the Pacific Division and the Western Conference.
• Playing in eventful games thus far, the group ranks 10th among all NHL teams with an average of 3.44 goals scored per game, but allows an average of 3.56, the fourth-most among all 32 clubs.
• The second-least penalized team this season, Seattle has been shorthanded just 43 times. While that's been a positive, its penalty kill has struggled, ranking 31st at just 65.1%.
• Like the Canes, the Kraken have three Finnish players on their roster for today's game: Kaapo Kakko, Jani Nyman, and Ville Ottavainen.
• Making their overseas debut, the Kraken will become the 27th active NHL franchise to appear in a game outside North America. The Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Capitals have yet to do so.

Injury Updates...

• Forward Jordan Staal suffered a calf tear on Sunday, Oct. 11. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 15. Expected to miss "at least a month", he returned to practice with the team on Nov. 9.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes will wear their WHITE uniforms. To view the full home uniform schedule, click here.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Friday before squaring off with Seattle again on Saturday to wrap up the Global Series games. 
• Next Game: Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Seattle | 1:00 p.m. ET | Helsinki, Finland | Hurricanes Hockey Network
• Next Home Game: Thursday, Nov. 19 vs. Montreal | 7:00 p.m. ET | Hurricanes Hockey Network | Tickets | Parking