The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-1 in the 2026 NHL Global Series in Finland on Thursday, November 12.
Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring in the first period, with assists from K’Andre Miller and Logan Stankoven. Sebastian Aho also found the back of the net in the opening period, with Jackson Blake and Ehlers picking up the assists.
In the second period, Carolina extended its lead to 3-0 with a goal from Juuso Valimaki, assisted by Stankoven. The Hurricanes added another goal in the third period to make it 4-0, with Aho scoring his second of the night off assists from Miller and Andrei Svechnikov.
The Kraken eventually scored their only goal of the game through Frederick Gaudreau.
During the postgame edition of the “Canes Corner” podcast, ESPN’s Adam Gold and The Hockey News’ Ryan Henkel discussed why this trip to Finland means so much to Sebastian Aho.
Adam Gold: Sebastian Aho ‘Never Looked This Openly Happy and Excited’
Gold said, “I want to talk to you a little bit about him (Sebastian Aho) because, to me, he’s the number one story coming into this.”
“You’ve talked to him, and I talked to him on Saturday before the Blackhawks game. I have never seen Sebastian this openly happy and excited about something.”
“He’s always been a good guy. I enjoy talking with him, but he’s always been very serious about whatever comes next.”
“You could tell he was looking forward to this in a much different way than he looked forward to playing for Finland at the World Championship, the Four Nations Face-Off, or the Olympics.”
“He was excited about those opportunities, but there was an intensity about them. This was very personal for him. You could tell he was really pumped up and ready to enjoy it, not just go out and play a hockey game there, but to enjoy the entire experience.”
“I’m so glad he got to have a great game. What were your thoughts on Aho going into this?”
Henkel responded, “Yeah, like you said, he’s such an intense player because he cares so much about winning.”
“To him, it’s all about wanting to perform and wanting to bring home the win.”
“I’ve always heard that with Sebastian Aho, it’s not that he loves winning so much as he hates losing more than anything.”
“I think that’s always been his reputation, especially during his younger years.”
Why the Hurricanes’ Finland Trip Means More Than Hockey for Sebastian Aho