Kraken prepared for ‘two hard games’ against Hurricanes in Finland

HELSINKI -- Mackie Samoskevich has fond memories of his first experience playing in the NHL Global Series Finland with the Florida Panthers two seasons ago in Tampere.

Samoskevich hopes to make some more with the Seattle Kraken at the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland in Helsinki this week.

The Kraken will face a difficult challenge playing two games in three days against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. After having a few days in Helsinki to practice and adjust to the time difference, they’ll play the first game at Veikkaus Arena on Thursday (12 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, NHLN, SN+, TVAS). They also play on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN, SN1). 

“It's going to be two hard games,” Samoskevich said Wednesday. “They play a hard style, in your face, don't really give you a ton of time and space. I think it's going to be a good couple of games for our group to learn through and teach ourselves how to play that game. 

“I think we can do a better job playing that game, and they've kind of been like a role model the past couple years. I think it'll be really good for our group.”

Samoskevich knows what it’s like to play for a team that opponents measure themselves against from his three seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Kraken on June 21.

Samoskevich didn’t play during the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024 and played only four postseason games in 2025, but he was around for most of Florida’s runs to back-to-back championships.

Although the Kraken did not qualify for the playoffs the past three seasons, he immediately saw the potential for success when he joined their players for informal skates before the start of training camp in September. The 23-year-old forward has helped them get off to a 9-6-1 start with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 15 games.

“I love this group,” he said. “That's the first thing I noticed right away, how much fun they have off the ice, and on ice too. They work so hard, and it was something that I learned right away I could fit right in. Definitely got super excited. Knew a couple guys coming in. That helps getting into the group a little bit and hanging out with the guys and spending time. 

“This trip has been really good for that, spending time with the teammates, and it's been really fun.”

Samoskevich enjoyed a similar bonding trip with the Panthers in 2024 when, coming off winning the Cup for the first time the previous season, they swept a pair of games from the Dallas Stars in Tampere. Samoskevich scored the winning goal in a 6-4 victory in the first game.

“We had a lot of fun two years ago,” Samoskevich said. “The NHL did a great job putting on a good show for the fans and stuff like that. So, this time around has been, I think, even more fun. So, hopefully, the games reflect that.”

Of course, it will be more fun for the Kraken if they win. They’ll face a tall order against the Hurricanes, who have picked up where they left off last season by going 14-3-2 in their first 19 games.

The Kraken have been committed from the start of this season to elevate their play, though, after falling out of a playoff position by going 5-15-2 in their final 22 games last season. 

“I think it started even before camp,” forward Berkly Catton said. “We all kind of agreed to come in a little early and all practice together and be together. I think just in that locker room, we have a lot of belief. So, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. 

“Lots of ebbs and flows to a season, but having that kind of unwavering confidence in ourselves has been great. We’ve just got to continue doing it.”

Seattle has yet to reach the quarter mark of its season, but these two games against Carolina will be an opportunity to show how far it has come. 

“Well, they are the Stanley Cup champions for a reason,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. {They play a very solid, sound hockey game. They've played the same way for years. … For us, I don't know if I believe in ‘quote unquote’ measuring stick necessarily, but we know we've got a great challenge ahead of us. 

“There are certain areas and certain things to our game that I think that it will be good to see. It will be good to give it a test from that standpoint, but we have a certain way that we want to play, too.”

The Kraken have shown their most improvement offensively by scoring 3.44 goals per game, which is good for 10th in the NHL, after they were 28th in the League by scoring 2.73 goals per game last season. They have eight players with at least 10 points with Catton leading with 14 (five goals, nine assists) in 16 games.

Seattle’s defensive play still needs work, though.

They are 29th in the NHL this season, allowing 3.56 goals per game, a drop from last season, when they allowed 3.13 goals per game (ranked 23rd). They allowed at least four goals in four of their past five games, with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 4 being the lone exception.

They believe they are headed in the right direction overall, though. 

“It sounds cliche, but from day one, everybody has been working really hard, and they're trying to instill a lot of confidence in us and it's working, and we’ve played really well,” Kraken forward Ben Meyers said. “Obviously, we had a few games we’d want back, but as of now, we're building something good here.”