NHL EDGE stats for 2026 NHL Global Series Finland

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we take a look at three underlying metrics storylines entering the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes match up against the Seattle Kraken for the two-game international series beginning Thursday (12 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, NHLN, SN+, TVAS) and concluding Saturday (1 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN, SN1).

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1. Hurricanes’ puck-possession dominance

Carolina, atop the NHL in points percentage (.789; 14-3-2 record), remains the League’s perennial leader in offensive zone time percentage, the percentage of time that the puck spends in the team’s offensive zone while the game clock is running. The Hurricanes lead the NHL in that category once again this season (45.4) and have led the way during all six seasons of the NHL’s puck and player tracking era (since 2021-22) under coach Rod Brind’Amour.

The defending Stanley Cup champions also have the best even-strength offensive zone time percentage (45.1) and 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (58.4) this season, two other key puck-possession indicators of a team built for a deep postseason run. Carolina accounts for five of the NHL’s top 10 players in terms of offensive zone time percentage this season: Jackson Blake (51.2; first), Shayne Gostisbehere (50.6; second), Mike Reilly (48.9; fifth), Taylor Hall (48.7; seventh) and Juuso Valimaki (48.4; tied for eighth). In terms of even-strength offensive zone time percentage, Blake (51.2; first), Hall (48.7; fourth), Andrei Svechnikov (48.1; ninth) and Nikolaj Ehlers (48.0; 10th) rank among the top 10 forwards.

Seattle, meanwhile ranks 27th in offensive zone time percentage (39.3), 29th in the category at even strength (38.5) and 31st out of 32 teams in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (44.0), presenting a potential matchup advantage for Carolina. But given the Kraken’s opportunistic scoring at 5-on-5 this season, this series could still see Seattle take full advantage of its scoring chances against Carolina. Seattle ranks fourth in 5-on-5 shooting percentage this season (12.4), ahead of Carolina (11.3; seventh).

2. Kraken’s opportunistic offense

Seattle, like their Global Series counterparts in Carolina, has had one of the deepest offenses in the NHL this season. The Kraken have eight different players with at least 10 points, led by breakout forward Berkly Catton (14 points in 16 games); the only teams with more double-digit point scorers this season are the Hurricanes (10) and Colorado Avalanche (nine). The 20-year-old Catton, the eighth pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is riding a career-long eight-game point streak with 10 points in that span (three goals, seven assists) entering the Global Series.

A number of advanced stats have played a part in Seattle’s surprising start, with the team’s perimeter goal-scoring being the highlight; the Kraken are among the leaders in both mid-range goals (21; tied for fifth) and long-range goals (five; tied for seventh) this season. Their top two defensemen, Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn, have excelled from those perimeter regions; Montour is tied for fourth among defensemen in mid-range goals (three), while Dunn is tied for third in the entire NHL in long-range goals (two). Catton, meanwhile, has also scored two mid-range goals (88th percentile among forwards).

The fact that Seattle, as a team, ranks fifth in average shot speed (60.65 mph) explains how they have been so successful past the one-month mark of the season in scoring goals from distance. And another attribute of Seattle’s offense has been its skating speed; the Kraken rank fifth in 22-plus mph speed bursts (27) this season. Two of Seattle’s forwards are among the leaders at their position in max skating speed: Catton (23.32 mph) and Bobby McMann (23.27 mph) both rank in the 96th percentile among forwards in that category. McMann, who’s playing his first full season with the Kraken after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, is tied for ninth in the entire NHL in 22-plus mph speed bursts (eight) this season.

Carolina, meanwhile, is also a juggernaut in goals-by-location categories: the Hurricanes rank first in high-danger goals (39), first in mid-range goals (28) and are tied for seventh in long-range goals (five). Finland-born top-line forward Sebastian Aho and second-line center Logan Stankoven are tied with each other for third in the NHL in mid-range goals (six each), while wing Jackson Blake is tied for fifth in the League in high-danger shots on goal (28).

3. Kochetkov’s near-perfect start

The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup last season thanks to contributions from two goalies in veteran Frederik Andersen (signed with Edmonton Oilers in offseason) and Brandon Bussi, who had a shutout in the championship-clinching game against the Vegas Golden Knights. After Kochetkov was limited by injury last season, the 27-year-old has bounced back to become the clear No. 1 goalie for Carolina; he’s 11-1-0 with a .920 save percentage and two shutouts (tied for second behind Jake Oettinger’s three) in 12 games this season. The only goalie with more wins than Kochetkov is Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild (12-2-3 record in 17 games).

Kochetkov, who has emerged as a surprise contender for the Vezina Trophy entering the Global Series, has had quality starts (greater than .900 save percentage) in seven of his 12 outings this season (tied for fifth most in NHL). He has been perfect on shots faced from distance this season, stopping all 50 long-range shots faced. He also has posted a .920 save percentage at both 5-on-5 and on mid-range shots faced, putting him just outside the top 10 in each category.

In terms of high-danger save percentage, Kochetkov (.819) has been much better than the NHL average (.806), while the other goalies who could take part in the Global Series have struggled in that category. Hurricanes backup Brandon Bussi (.764 high-danger save percentage in seven games) and the Kraken’s tandem of Philipp Grubauer (.754 in 10 games) and Joey Daccord (.767 in nine games) have struggled in high-danger save percentage this season. Two forwards to watch from the Kraken’s offense that could be difference-makers from high-danger zones against Kochetkov include veteran wing Jordan Eberle (21 high-danger shots on goal; 94th percentile at position) and Finland-born Kaapo Kakko (three high-danger goals on five high-danger shots on goal this season; 86th percentile in high-danger goals).