TAMPERE – Talk about a homecoming.
Taking the ice in his hometown of Tampere, Finland, captain Aleksander Barkov will lead the Florida Panthers against the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the 2024 Global Series at Nokia Arena on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
The first half of a back-to-back, the second game of the Global Series will be on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
“It’s really hard to describe how great it feels right now to be able to be here” said Barkov, who is also a minority owner of his former Liiga club in Tampere, Tappara. “This is so nice. I don’t even know if I can realize how special this is. I’m going to try and enjoy it as much as possible. Obviously, we have two hard, tough games ahead of us, which is even better.”
In addition to Barkov, the Panthers’ other three other Finnish players – Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola and Eetu Luostarinen – also can’t wait to play an NHL game in their home country.
“It’s going to be exciting, for sure,” said Mikkola, whose hometown of Oulu is about a six-hour drive north of Tampere. “Playing in front of my friends and family, it’s a special night for me. I’m very excited.”
Winning each of their last five games on the road while outscoring the opposition 22-12, the Panthers enter the Global Series sitting first in the Atlantic Division with a record of 7-3-1.
Leaving North America on a high note, they completed an impressive three-game sweep through the state of New York with a 5-2 win at Buffalo in their last outing on Tuesday.
Returning to the lineup after missing eight games with an injury, Barkov tallied a goal and an assist against the Sabres, while Sam Bennett scored to push his goal streak to five games.
Notching a goal and an assist, Carter Verhaeghe saw his point streak reach seven games.
Moving into a tie with Chris Osgood for 13th on the NHL’s all-time wins list with his 401st career victory, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 28 shots to improve his record to 5-2-1.
Off to another hot start, Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) and has cracked the scoresheet in nine of 11 games to start the season. Bennett ranks first in goals (8) and tied with Lundell for second in points (12).
After suffering an injury in the preseason, Tomas Nosek, who was inked to a one-year deal in the offseason, will return to the lineup and make his regular-season debut with Florida.
Slotting in on the fourth line, he won 51.9% of his faceoffs with New Jersey in 2023-24.
“I can’t wait for tonight,” said Nosek, a veteran of 434 career NHL games. “I can’t wait to play a game with them finally and see how it is on the ice with the Stanley Cup champs.”
Like the Panthers, the Stars have gotten off to a great start.
Sitting second in the Central Division with a record of 7-2-0, the Stars have won each of their last two games, including a 4-2 win against Chicago in their last outing on Sunday.
Leading the charge against the Blackhawks, Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals, while Miro Heiskanen, one of the team’s top Finns, dished out a pair of assists. Between the pipes, Jake Oettinger, who will likely get the nod against Florida, stopped 22 of 24 shots.
Duchene leads Dallas in goals (6) and points (11). Not far behind, 21-year-old rookie Logan Stankoven has tallied nine points (one goal, eight assists), while Tyler Seguin, Roope Hintz (another one of the team’s Finns) and Mason Marchment have each registered eight points.
Florida owned a 2-0-0 record against Dallas in 2023-24.
“We had a good skate yesterday and we’ve been working out,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “We feel ready. It was a good mental break for a couple days, but we’re excited to play tonight.”
THEY SAID IT
“It’s been great. We’ve had a few off days, which was fun to be able to see Helsinki. Now we’re up here [in Tampere] and getting ready to kind of turn the page and get ready for Barky to show off his hometown and play two big games.” – Matthew Tkachuk
“We’ve been spoiled by these Finns these last couple days. It’s been pretty fun. Saunas hit a little different. It’s nice seeing photos of Barky littered all around the rooms. It’s been a cool experience.” – Sam Reinhart
“When we first knew we were going to come here, we were planning a little bit and talking about what we’re going to do. Anton and Barky have been basically taking care of the cities where they’re from. I haven’t had to stress about it.” – Niko Mikkola
“[Tomas Nosek is] a veteran guy, really strong on faceoffs. That changes the way that I can run the bench.” – Paul Maurice
FIVE CATS STATS
- Aleksander Barkov has logged 24 points (15G, 9A) in 21 career games vs. Dallas.
- The Panthers rank second in the NHL in hits (313).
- Between the Panthers and Stars, seven skaters in tonight’s contest are Finnish.
- Niko Mikkola ranks first on the Panthers in blocked shots (20).
- Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers in shots on goal (45).
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Mackie Samoskevich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Oct. 25: Singed F Hunter St. Martin to an entry-level contract
- Oct. 11: F Patrick Giles recalled to Florida
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Friday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Nokia Arena – Tampere, Finland
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, NHL Network (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Click to View Participating Bars & Restaurants
