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2023 NHL Global Series Set for Sweden

Senators, Red Wings Kick Off Four-Game Event

· Nov 15 - 5 minutes read

A pair of teams loaded with young players are set for a new experience with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators playing at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday in the NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden. It begins a stretch of four NHL games in four days in Sweden.

Detroit will face Toronto on Friday (2 p.m. ET) and the Minnesota Wild will play Ottawa on Saturday (11 a.m. ET). Minnesota then meets up with Toronto on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. The NHL Vegas odds list Ottawa as the slight favorite against Detroit in Thursday’s game. All four games will air on the NHL Network.

2023 NHL Global Series Set for Sweden — Alex DeBrincat #93 of the Detroit Red Wings -Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP

The lone player from Sweden on the current Detroit roster is winger Lucas Raymond from Gothenburg. Ottawa defenseman Erik Brannstrom is from Eksjo while goalie Anton Forsberg hails from Harnosand.

Toronto has four players from Sweden – Gothenburg natives John Klingberg and William Lagesson are joined by fellow defenseman Timothy Lilljegren (Kristianstad) and forward Calle Jarnkrok (Gavle). Minnesota has five players from Sweden – goalies Filip Gustavsson from Skelleftea and Jesper Wallstedt from Vasteras, defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Joel Eriksson Ek from Karlstad and winger Marcus Johansson, who grew up in Landskrona.

Seven of the top 40 scorers in the NHL play for these four teams. Ottawa has the best NHL ATS record among the four teams in Sweden.

When looking at the NHL futures odds, Toronto is tied fourth at +600 in the odds of winning the Eastern Conference championship followed by Ottawa at +2000 and Detroit at +2800. Minnesota is eighth at +2000 in the Western Conference championship odds.

The teams are in pretty good shape from an injury standpoint. Minnesota center Frederick Gaudreau is on long-term injured reserve while Toronto’s Klingberg and Detroit center Austin Czarnik are day-to-day.

Toronto ranks sixth, Detroit is 10th and Ottawa 12th in the NHL in power-play success rate so that is something for those who bet online to keep an eye on.

A History Lesson

Six NHL regular-season games have been played in Stockholm.

In 2008, Pittsburgh topped Ottawa 4-3 in overtime before Ottawa took the rematch by a 3-1 score the following day.

In 2009, St. Louis topped Detroit 4-3 and 5-3 and in the 2017 NHL Global Series, Ottawa won a pair of 4-3 affairs versus the Colorado Avalanche.

Here’s a look at the four teams.

About the Red Wings

Record: 8-5-2 (tied for third in the Atlantic Division)
Record in the last 10 games: 4-4-2
Streak: Won last game
Record Against the Puck Line: 8-7
Record Against the Total: 10-5-0

Captain Dylan Larkin leads Detroit with 12 assists and 17 points. Alex DeBrincat, playing for his third team in the last three seasons, has 10 goals and 15 points while Raymond and J.T. Compher each have 11 points.

Back on the ice in Stockholm! #NHLGlobalSeries pic.twitter.com/uUKywMVoy6

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 15, 2023

Moritz Seider is one of the top-scoring defensemen in the league with 10 assists and 11 points.

Ville Husso is 6-3-1 but his 3.61 goals-against average and .885 save percentage are concerning numbers.

About the Senators

Record: 6-7 (eighth in the Atlantic Division)
Record in the last 10 games: 4-6-0
Streak: Won last game
Record Against the Puck Line: 8-5
Record Against the Total: 7-3-3

Tim Stutzle (14 assists, 17 points) and defenseman Jake Sanderson (three goals and seven assists) are among the young players to watch on the Senators. Ottawa has 11 players younger than 25.

Veteran Claude Giroux (five goals, 10 assists), captain Brady Tkachuk (eight goals), Matthieu Joseph (four goals, eight assists), defenseman Jakob Chychrun (five goals, seven assists) and Vlad Tarasenko (eight assists, 11 points) are other top scorers.

Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has four of the six Ottawa wins.

About the Maple Leafs

Record: 8-5-2 (tied for third in the Atlantic Division)
Record in the last 10 games: 5-3-2
Streak: Won last two games
Record Against the Puck Line: 4-11
Record Against the Total: 7-7-1

William Nylander, the subject of constant trade rumors, leads Toronto with 10 goals and 22 points and Auston Matthews tops the NHL with 13 goals. Mitchell Marner (5 goals, 12 assists) and John Tavares (six goals and 10 assists) are other top scorers. However, that quartet is a combined -2 this season.

Morgan Rieilly is the top defenseman with Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov splitting the goaltending duties.

About the Wild

Record: 5-8-2
Record in the last 10 games: 3-6-1 (sixth in the Central Division)
Streak: Lost the last three games
Record Against the Puck Line: 7-8
Record Against the Total: 10-4-1

Mats Zuccarello (four goals, 12 assists), Kirill Kaprizov (five goals and 10 assists) and Joel Eriksson Ek (eight goals and six assists) lead the offense but Zuccarello and Kaprizov are a combined -18.

Ryan Hartman has seven goals and Marco Rossi has scored five times but more is needed from winger Matthew Boldy (one goal in eight games).

On a team that has been outscored 63-49, defenseman Jonas Brodin somehow has a +7 defensive rating.

It has been a tough start for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (3.41 GAA).

Minnesota is the worst penalty-killing team in the NHL, allowing opponents to score 36.5% of the time. That could impact the NHL betting lines in the two games for the Wild.