2025 NHL Global Series to see Penguins and Predators face off in Sweden

The NHL is once again going international.

Announced Tuesday, the 2025 NHL Global Series will head to Stockholm, Sweden in November for a two-game set between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The event marks the first time the Penguins have played overseas since 2008 when the club twice faced off against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm. Meanwhile, the Predators last played abroad in 2022 as part of a two-game showcase against the San Jose Sharks in Prague, Czechia. In October 2000, the Penguins and Predators also faced off in a two-game set in Saitama, Japan. In all, Stockholm has hosted 16 NHL regular season games between 2008 and 2023. Outside of North America, Sweden is the top supplier of NHL talent, accounting for about 10 percent of current players.

The 2025 NHL Global Series will see three Swedes per side go head-to-head, including forwards Emil Bemstrom and Rickard Rakell plus star defenseman Erik Karlsson with Pittsburgh, while Nashville’s roster counts blue-liners Andreas Englund and Adam Wilsby in addition to Predators’ all-time leading goal scorer Filip Forsberg. Of note, Karlsson stands top-10 all-time among Swedish-born players, having recorded 866 points in 1,071 career contests.

Earlier this season, four teams competed in the 2024 Global Series including a two-game set between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils in Prague in October plus a two-game series between the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers in Tampere, Finland in November.

Entering Tuesday action, the Penguins stand 28-31-10 and six points back of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, while the Predators are 25-33-8 and 15 points shy of a playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Penguins took both games of this year’s season series including a 5-4 overtime victory in mid-December as well as a 3-0 shutout win in early February.