Finland native Sebastian Aho scored twice to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday in Helsinki as part of the NHL Global Series.
Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist and Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won seven of their past eight games.
Logan Stankoven and defenseman K’Andre Miller had two assists each, and Brandon Bussi made 12 saves.
Frederick Gaudreau got the goal for the Kraken, who were designated as the home team and lost their second in a row. Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots.
The teams will play again in Helsinki on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
Ehlers gave Carolina a 1-0 lead with 8:16 left in the first period with a screened wrist shot from just inside the blue line in the middle of the ice. Seattle coach Lane Lambert challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld and the Kraken were penalized for delay of game for the failed challenge.
Aho made it 2-0 on the ensuing power play, with 7:10 remaining in the first, when he tipped in a pass from Jackson Blake off the rush.
Valimaki scored 9:34 into the second period to put Carolina up by three goals. Stankoven won the face-off back to Valimaki above the right circle, and he drilled a screened wrist shot over Grubauer’s left shoulder.
Aho’s second goal came in the third period with 8:19 left. He connected on a one-time slap shot from the inside edge of the right circle off the rush.
Gaudreau foiled Bussi’s shutout bid on a shot from the slot with 6:45 remaining.
The Hurricanes’ Taylor Hall played his 1,000th career game. He is the first NHL player to reach that milestone outside of North America.
Former Nashville Predators’ goaltender Pekka Rinne, a Finn who was recently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, dropped the puck for the ceremonial face-off before the game between countrymen Aho and Kaapo Kakko of the Kraken.
–Field Level Media
