Carolina Hurricanes vs Seattle Kraken Predictions and Picks: NHL Global Series 2026 Odds

The NHL is back in Helsinki for the first time since 2018, as the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Seattle Kraken open the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland at Veikkaus Arena on Thursday, November 12. It’s the first of two games between the sides in Finland, with the rematch on Saturday, before the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators take the Global Series to Düsseldorf, Germany, in December.

There’s real history here for Carolina. The Canes last played in Helsinki in 2010, beating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 and 2-1, and a 13-year-old Sebastian Aho was in the crowd. Now he returns as the team’s leading scorer, alongside fellow Finns Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Juuso Valimaki. Seattle is making its first regular-season trip to Europe, with Kaapo Kakko leading a group of four Finns on the Kraken roster. You can find the latest NHL Global Series odds and our Hurricanes vs Kraken picks below.

NHL Global Series 2026 Schedule

Game	Date	Puck Drop (ET)	City
Hurricanes @ Kraken	Thu, Nov 12	12:00 PM	Helsinki
Kraken @ Hurricanes	Sat, Nov 14	1:00 PM	Helsinki
Blackhawks vs Senators	Fri, Dec 18	1:00 PM	Düsseldorf
Blackhawks vs Senators	Sun, Dec 20	8:00 AM	Düsseldorf

Game 1 airs on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the US.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Seattle Kraken Odds

Team	Moneyline	Puck Line	Total
Hurricanes	-290	-1.5	Over 6.5
Kraken	+240	+1.5	Under 6.5

Odds from BetUS, checked Nov 12 at 3:30 AM ET.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Seattle Kraken Prediction

Champs Bring the NHL’s Best Record to Finland

Carolina hasn’t missed a beat since lifting the Stanley Cup in June. The Canes arrive in Helsinki at 14-3-2, the NHL’s best record, with 78 goals scored and just 45 allowed. That +33 goal differential works out at over four goals a game for and under 2.4 against.

They warmed up for the trip by hammering the Chicago Blackhawks 9-2 last Saturday, with eight players recording multiple points. Logan Stankoven leads the team with 11 goals and has points in five straight, while Jackson Blake carries a career-best nine-game point streak overseas. This offense is firing on more than one line.

Kraken Defense Remains the Concern

Lane Lambert’s Seattle side sits ninth in the Western Conference at 9-6-1, just outside the playoff places and still searching for consistency. The Kraken have scored 57 goals and allowed 57, and giving up more than 3.5 a game is a tough profile to bring into a matchup with the NHL’s most complete team.

Their final game before the trip summed it up. Seattle fell 4-0 behind the New York Rangers before rallying through Kakko, Jordan Eberle and Vince Dunn, only to lose 4-3. Berkly Catton has been the bright spot, leading the team with 14 points and riding an eight-game point streak, while Chandler Stephenson has chipped in 13 points.

Head-to-Head: Seattle Has Troubled Carolina Before

Thursday marks the 11th regular-season meeting between these teams, and the Kraken have held their own. Seattle won the most recent clash 2-1 at home on March 2, 2026, despite going off as a +155 underdog against a Carolina side that went on to win the Cup. The Kraken are also the designated home team for Game 1, and with Kakko at the center of Seattle’s Finland buildup, the crowd won’t be all Aho.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Seattle Kraken Picks

Best Bet: Carolina Hurricanes to Win (-290)

Carolina is the best team in the league right now, and the gap between these two in goal and on defense is hard to ignore. The Canes have the top scorers in form, with Aho, Blake and Stankoven all on point streaks, against a Seattle side that has conceded as many goals as it has scored. Upsets happen in one-off games, as March showed, but the champs should take Game 1.

Player Prop: Sebastian Aho Over 0.5 Assists (-127)

There’s no bigger storyline in Helsinki than Aho’s homecoming. The Finnish star is having the best start of his career, leading Carolina with 16 assists and 26 points through 19 games, and he has four assists across his last two outings. He centers the top line and plays more minutes than any Canes forward, so the chances will come. He’s also two goals shy of Eric Staal’s franchise record, so don’t be surprised if he’s looking for his own shot as well.

How to Bet on the NHL Global Series

Game 1 is a lunchtime puck drop at noon ET on Thursday, so get your bets in early, and keep an eye on the lines as goalie confirmations arrive from Helsinki. Whether you’re backing the champs on the moneyline, taking Aho to light up the scoresheet in front of a Finnish crowd, or saving some ammo for Saturday’s rematch, there’s plenty to play.

The sportsbooks below all accept US players and have markets on both Helsinki games, plus the Blackhawks vs Senators double-header in Düsseldorf next month. New players can also claim a welcome bonus on their first deposit.

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