Kraken Drop NHL Global Series Opener

HELSINKI, Finland – Kraken fans poured into this three-decade-old venue Thursday night local time hoping to see their favorite team make a global impact more than 4,700 miles from home.
And that they did off the ice, as thousands of fans sporting Kraken jerseys, many of them appearing to be native Finns, mingled with Seattle supporters who’d made the trip to give the night’s designated “home” team some proper support among the 12,523 fans. But it would be the Carolina Hurricanes doing much of the on-ice celebrating early and often, riding a pair of first period goals 66 seconds apart to a 4-1 victory at Veikkaus Arena.
Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring on a point shot through traffic about 12 minutes into the first period, with the Kraken unsuccessfully challenging for goaltender interference. The Kraken were assessed a delay of game penalty for the failed challenge and Sebastian Aho quickly added a power play goal, his first of two goals on the night, by redirecting a K’Andre Miller net front pass in a period that saw Carolina dominate 12-5 in shots with several near misses.
Juuso Valimaki made it 3-0 midway through the second period with a snapper from 42 feet out that nicked a defender and went by Philipp Grubauer. Aho added his second of the night in the latter half of the final period to cap a night of all-Nordic and Scandinavian scoring by the victors.
Between Finnish natives Valimaki and Aho and Denmark-born Ehlers, the Hurricanes were certainly keeping the regional fans happy if not those strictly rooting for Kraken blue. Freddy Gaudreau finally gave Kraken fans something to cheer about when he scored on a wrister from the high slot 13:15 into the third period on what would be his team’s only shot of the frame.
Carolina held a 33-13 overall shot advantage as the Kraken fell to 9-7-1 with the second game of the NHL Global Series going Saturday night.
While Kraken fans had few bright spots from there, they nonetheless appeared to be soaking in the NHL Global Series atmosphere both in the stands and the arena’s festive concourses. With no alcoholic beverages allowed in the arena’s seats, the already-narrow concourses built in 1997 were packed solid throughout the intermissions and the pregame hours as fans mingled in their team colors anticipating the night ahead.
This was the 49th time the NHL has played outside of North America and the first time in Helsinki since 2018.
Out on the concourse in the second intermission, Kraken fans Bill Antilla, 61, his wife, Diane, 60, and son Ollie, 25, who’d made the trek here on their own from Port Hood, Oregon, were having a good time despite the scoreboard.
“Our ancestors were from Finland, so it’s kind of a special trip,” Antilla said.
The family attended the “Sound of Hockey” podcast gathering in downtown Helsinki on Wednesday.
“We got to meet a few other people there,” Antilla said.
His son, who went to high school with Hurricanes’ defenseman Miller when the family lived in Minnesota, got to see his onetime classmate notch an assist on his goalmouth pass to Aho for his power play goal. But he most enjoyed the chance to experience being in an arena more or less split between Carolina and Kraken fans.
“You’re so used to being in an arena with all fans of one team,” he said. “Here, you have everyone kind of merged together, so it feels like a fun little rivalry.”
Kraken fan Koko Pipkin, in her fourth year as a season ticket member, arrived here Monday with a friend as part of the NHL partner Victory Travel tour group of fans. She got to visit Estonia on Wednesday and will attend the Kraken’s open practice Friday ahead of going to Saturday’s second game.
“Everybody’s been really nice,” she said of her first trip to Finland. “It’s been exciting seeing different things and going to different places and trying some of the food and beer and stuff.”
She wore a Bobby McMann jersey to the game but then braved the long arena lines pregame to buy a Kraken NHL Global Series shirt along with some pucks.