NHL's Sweden Trip: A Mid-Season Reset for Success

As the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators wrap up their Stockholm adventure, the trip across the Atlantic has proven to be much more than just a homecoming for Swedish stars.

The NHL season is barely a quarter of the way through, but for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, the 2025 Global Series Sweden offered something invaluable: a chance to pause, reset, and reconnect. What began as a mid-November trip to Stockholm has evolved into a bonding experience that could shape both teams' seasons, and perhaps their Stanley Cup aspirations.

The Power of the Reset

When both teams arrived in Sweden's capital on Tuesday morning with games not scheduled until Friday night, the three-and-a-half-day gap provided a welcome respite from the grueling NHL schedule. For the Predators especially, the timing couldn't have been better.

Nashville head coach Andrew Brunette acknowledged the team had just completed 12 games in 20 days, making the trip away from "all the noise" a valuable opportunity to enjoy Stockholm. The reset appeared to work immediately: the Predators snapped a five-game losing streak with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory in Friday's opener.

The historical significance shouldn't be overlooked. In the last 10 seasons when the NHL has played international regular-season games, six teams involved went on to win the Stanley Cup. Whether that's correlation or causation remains debatable, but the bonding opportunities these trips provide are undeniable.

Building Bonds Beyond the Ice

Penguins forward Kevin Hayes emphasized how the trip allowed players to connect on a deeper level, noting he learned more about 18-year-old rookie Ben Kindel during the Sweden trip than he had all season. These dinner conversations between veterans and rookies, the shared experiences exploring a foreign city, and the collective immersion in Swedish culture created connections that simply don't happen during the regular-season grind.

The Swedish players on both rosters took on hosting duties with enthusiasm. Nashville's Filip Forsberg and Adam Wilsby organized dinners and activities for their teammates, with Forsberg grinning about how some players handled traditional Swedish dishes better than others when presented with delicacies like surströmming (fermented herring).

On the Pittsburgh side, injured forward Rickard Rakell, a Stockholm native, handled most of the local tourism duties, while fellow Swede Erik Karlsson, who had participated in the NHL's 2017 trip to Sweden with Ottawa, was happy to let Rakell take the lead.

A Homecoming for Swedish Stars

For players like Forsberg, Karlsson, and Wilsby, the trip offered something beyond team bonding: a rare opportunity to perform in front of extended family and friends who rarely get to see them play live in North America.

Forsberg made the most of his moment in the spotlight. He scored the game-tying goal with just 70 seconds remaining in regulation during Friday's game, sending the boisterous Swedish crowd into raptures and helping Nashville secure the overtime victory.

His wife Erin captured the emotion perfectly: "Tonight was the type of night you hold close to your heart forever. You could tell how much this game meant to Filip, from wearing the traditional outfit from his hometown to seeing him sing his anthem on the ice".

The significance of playing in Sweden during an Olympic year adds another layer. With the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 just three months away, the chance for Swedish players to return to Europe provided an added bonus.

Karlsson noted that Scandinavian fans getting to experience the speed and intensity of an NHL game live, perhaps for the first time, would create long-lasting memories, something he would have been "forever grateful for" as a kid.

Young Stars Shine on International Stage

The Global Series also provided a stage for emerging talent. Nashville rookie Matthew Wood brought added intrigue to the matchup as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan who idolized Evgeni Malkin.

Wood, who wears number 71 in honor of Malkin, couldn't believe he was playing against his childhood heroes. The 20-year-old even purchased a Malkin jersey from the arena merchandise stands as a Christmas present to himself.

Wood's season has been remarkable regardless of the Stockholm setting. Fresh off the first hat trick of his career against the New York Rangers, Wood has six goals over his past seven games, tying him for second among NHL rookie goal leaders.

Teammate Steven Stamkos praised the rare combination of Wood's size (6-foot-4) and skill set, noting that players his size typically can't make the plays Wood makes.

The Emotional Investment

For Filip Forsberg's family, the Stockholm games carried profound emotional weight. His wife Erin and their son Felix traveled to Sweden for the series, with Erin describing it as a lifelong dream for Filip that the entire family now shares.

Erin explained the significance of her husband being the center of attention in Stockholm: "It's really cool to see him be able to give back to his country, and vice versa. I think he loves Sweden more than anything, and it's really cool that he gets to be here and share his two loves," referring to hockey and his homeland.

The trip also highlighted the warm similarities between Nashville and Sweden. When asked if Sweden reminded her of Nashville, Erin pointed to the people in both communities being warm and caring, looking out for each other.

Beyond the Excitement

While the Global Series offered numerous positives, it wasn't without complications. The Penguins arrived in Stockholm dealing with a bloated injury list, while the Predators were without their best player, Roman Josi.

The unusual scheduling also created challenges. The second game on Sunday featured a 9 a.m. Eastern start time, requiring early alarms for North American viewers.

Beyond the Stockholm series, larger concerns loom for the NHL's Olympic preparations. With fewer than 90 days until the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged serious questions about ice quality and rink readiness, noting that the main hockey venue, Santagiulia Arena, remains under construction.

The Impact on Season Success

As both teams departed Stockholm on Sunday evening, they carried with them more than just memories. The Predators had momentum from breaking their losing streak, while the Penguins had grown closer as a unit and given their Swedish players a memorable homecoming.

For young players like Wood and veteran stars like Forsberg, the Global Series represented different milestones. But for both teams collectively, the trip provided something often lost in an 82-game NHL season: perspective, connection, and renewed purpose.

Whether these experiences translate into playoff success remains to be seen. But if history is any guide, with six Stanley Cup championships among previous Global Series participants, the Penguins and Predators may look back on their Stockholm adventure as a turning point.

As the NHL continues to expand its global footprint, events like the Sweden series serve multiple purposes: growing the game internationally, rewarding loyal European fans, and giving players a chance to step away from the North American hockey bubble. For a few days in November, Stockholm became the center of the hockey universe, reminding everyone why the sport's international appeal continues to grow.

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