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The NHL announced the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators will play in the 2025-26 Global Series in November.
The series will be held in Sweden at Avicii Arena, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic. The dates are scheduled for Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, 2025. It will be the first time NHL games will be played at Avicii Arena in Johanneshov since undergoing renovations.
The NHL Global Series debuted in 2017 with the Ottawa Senators defeating the Colorado Avalanche in two games in Stockholm.
Sidney Crosby, Penguins will take on Predators in Sweden
The Penguins have three Swedish players on their roster including defenseman Erik Karlsson and forwards Rickard Rakell and Emil Bemstrom. Karlsson and Rakell represented Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Karlsson is one of Sweden's most popular players. He represented his country in the World Championships in 2010, the Winter Olympics in 2014, and the 4 Nations. He was among the highest-scoring defenseman in 2010 and won a silver medal in 2014 in Sochi.
Karlsson is the second Swedish player to receive the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in 2011-2012.
Sidney Crosby, playing in his 20th NHL season, will make his first trip to Sweden since 2008 for the NHL Premiere Series in Stockholm. The Penguins split two contests with the Ottawa Senators.
The Predators will make their first trip to the Global Series since 2022 when they swept the San Jose Sharks in two games. They too have Swedish talent in forward Filip Forsberg and defensemen Adam Wilsby and Andreas Englund.
Forsberg is the Predators points leader with 59 including 25 goals and 34 assists. He has scored at 40 goals in two of the last four years. In 2022, Forsberg signed a massive six year $68 million dollar contract.
Hockey is a very popular sport in Sweden. The Swedish Hockey League (SHL) draws significant attendance and youth participation in hockey continues to grow. Swedish players account for 9.7 percent of the current NHL landscape. Sweden is often mentioned among the best hockey teams in the world alongside Canada, USA, and Russia.
The ability to purchase tickets for the Global Series will coincide with the first ever nationwide Hockey Day celebration held in Linkoping on March 21 and 22.
