In a matchup that feels as fitting as a well-worn sauna bench, the Dallas Stars bring their “Finnish Mafia” to home ice — Finland’s, that is.
As part of the 2024 NHL Global Series, the Stars will face the Florida Panthers in Finland for a two-game set on Friday and Saturday at Tampere’s Nokia Arena.
The Stars’ Finnish trio of Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Roope Hintz, collectively known as the “Finnish Mafia,” return to their homeland, along with Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, who became the first Finnish player to captain a Stanley Cup-winning team last season. It’s only fitting these two Finnish-heavy teams are playing across the pond in Finland.
Both the Stars and the Panthers are off to good starts this season. Dallas has won seven of their first nine games of out the gate, including a 4-2 win over Chicago on Saturday. The Stars were able to convert on the struggling power play to open a 3-0 lead on the Blackhawks before holding off a late charge. The Stars also notched a rare 5-2 victory last Thursday in Boston, where they had not won since 2018.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers have been equally impressive this season, winning four of their last five games and sit atop the Atlantic Division. The champs have managed to win despite dealing with early-season injuries to Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Both players are expected to play in the Global Series.
Stars storyline to watch: Of course, it’s got to be the Finnish Mafia. Heiskanen added a pair of assists in his last game against the Blackhawks and is on a two-game point streak after going pointless in the first seven games of the season. He’ll key a power-play attack that will likely need to contribute to hang with the high-powered Panthers. Hintz has four goals and four assists in nine games this season. Add in Lindell, and there’s no doubt this trio will be fired up for these two games.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Mavrik Bourque (22) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Miro Heiskanen (4) – Matt Dumba (3)
Thomas Harley (55) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Key stats: Both goaltenders Jake Oettinger (1.84 GAA) and Casey DeSmith (1.69) are in the top four in the NHL in goals against average. Look for the duo to likely split starts in Finland. The Stars have allowed the fewest goals (17) in the NHL this season.
Florida Panthers Lineup
Evan Rodrigues (17) – Aleksander Barkov (16) – Sam Reinhart (13)
Carter Verhaeghe (23) – Sam Bennett (9) – Matthew Tkachuk (19)
Eetu Luostarinen (27) – Anton Lundell (15) – Jesper Boqvist (70)
A.J. Greer (10) – Patrick Giles (36) – Mackie Samoskevich (25)
Gustav Forsling (42) – Aaron Ekblad (5)
Niko Mikkola (77) – Dmitry Kulikov (7)
Uvis Balinskis (26) – Nate Schmidt (88)
Sergei Bobrovsky (72)
Spencer Knight (30)
Of all the Finnish players skating in the Global Series, Panthers forward Anton Lundell might be the one to keep an eye on. Lundell has 12 points in 11 games this season and has stepped up nicely in the absence of Barkov and Tkachuk due to injuries. Lundell, who signed a six-year deal with the Panthers this summer, has four multi-point games this season.
Things to watch
Panthers on the attack
Florida has one of the best two-line punches in the NHL. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett are both top 20 in the NHL in scoring. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 14-6 in their last three games, all on the road. Barkov appears to be back from an early-season, lower-body injury that shelved him for eight games. He added a goal and assist in his return Monday in a 5-2 win over Buffalo. Tkachuk continues to do Tkachuk things, including one of the most Matthew-Tkachuk-esque goals you’ll see:
Stars penalty kill
Dallas boasts the top ranked penalty-killing unit in the NHL at 93.1%, allowing only two PP goals this season. Goaltending and strong play on the puck have helped this unit, but also the Stars have not taken many penalties this year – just 60 PIM which is among the fewest in the league. Fewer penalties mean fewer chances.
Matt Duchene
Stars center Matt Duchene is off to one of his best starts to a season through the first nine games. Duchene, who’s in his 18th season in the NHL, has tallied 11 points (six goals and five assists) so far this year, including a pair of goals Saturday in the win against Chicago. Duchene has scored five goals in his last four games, and he was named the NHL’s third star of the week on Monday.
How to Watch
Both games will be broadcasted on Victory+, and you can hear the radio call on The Ticket. Note the start times for each game: Friday at 1:00 pm CDT and Saturday at 11:00 am CDT.