2026 NHL Global Series Stockholm fixtures and roster updates
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators travel to Avicii Arena for the 2026 Global Series in Stockholm. This event features Swedish stars like Erik Karlsson and Filip Forsberg as the NHL continues its international expansion.
The NHL brings the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators to Avicii Arena in Sweden for the 2026 Global Series on November 14 and November 16. This event marks the 15th season with regular-season games outside North America. Stockholm hosts 18 total regular-season games after these upcoming matchups. Sidney Crosby enters his 20th NHL season and previously played in Stockholm in 2008 against the Ottawa Senators. During that 2008 trip, Crosby recorded two assists across two games, which included a 4-3 overtime win and a 3-1 loss.
The Penguins roster includes three Sweden-born players. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, age 34, was the second Sweden-born player to win the Norris Trophy, winning the award in 2011-12, 2014-15, and 2022-23. He also earned the title of best defenseman in the 2014 Sochi Olympics when Sweden took home the silver medal. Forward Rickard Rakell has 31 goals and 59 points this season and played for AIK in Stockholm before moving to North America in 2010-11. Rakell is in his third full season with the Penguins after he was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on March 21, 2022. Emil Bemstrom also plays for Pittsburgh. Karlsson and Rakell represented Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.
Predators and the Swedish Market
Nashville makes its first trip to Stockholm during this series. Filip Forsberg, age 30, leads the Predators with 59 points, consisting of 25 goals and 34 assists in 66 games. Forsberg scored at least 40 goals in two of the past four seasons and played in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Other Swedish natives on the Nashville roster include Adam Wilsby and Andreas Englund. The Predators will visit Stockholm for the first time, following their 2022 trip to Prague where they swept the Sharks 4-1 and 3-2, and a 2000 series in Japan where they split two games with the Penguins with scores of 3-1 each.
| Event Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Series Dates | November 14 and November 16 |
| Venue | Avicii Arena, Sweden |
| Stockholm Total Games | 18 |
| Swedish Player Representation | 9.7% |
Sweden accounts for 9.7 percent of NHL players this season, which is the highest representation of any country outside North America. The NHL has staged 46 regular-season games at venues outside North America since 1997. You should remember that the Avicii Arena recently finished a full year of extensive renovations. Nashville general manager Bary Trotz says travel creates a better understanding for players, such as North American players who have never been to Sweden. The series includes the 47th and 48th regular-season games played overseas.
The Ottawa Senators Roster Update
The Ottawa Senators placed forward Shane Pinto on injured reserve after he sustained an injury during a game against the New York Rangers. Mika Zibanejad delivered the hit during the first period of that matchup. Pinto finished that game with 5:07 of ice time in seven shifts. The Rangers won the game 4-2. The team recalled Hayden Hodgson from the Belleville Senators to fill the roster spot. Hodgson has 21 hits in eight NHL games this season.
Pinto has 12 goals and six assists for 18 points in 27 games. In his 237 career regular-season games, he has 63 goals and 62 assists. Coach Travis Green said there is no timeline for the 25-year-old to return. Pinto was a 2019 second-round pick for the Senators, having spent two seasons at the University of North Dakota where he scored 31 goals and 29 points in 61 career NCAA games. He also recorded 28 goals and 31 assists in 56 career USHL games. Hodgson has three goals, one assist, four points, and 30 penalty minutes in 11 AHL games. Will the Senators’ season suffer without their leading goal scorer?
