Ostervala Overtime

Predators 2 – Penguins 1 (OT) The 47th NHL regular season game outside of North America was played in Ostervala, Sweden and the game had Pittsburgh scoring first, sort of, the Penguins were credited with 2 SOG for the second period, but realistically they took just one, as a Penguin player endeavored to shoot the puck out from underneath the goal line towards the front of Nashville’s net the puck took an errant deflection off of Predators winger stick blade and into the net for a Pittsburgh 1-0 lead.

With 70 seconds remaining in the third period of a 1-0 game Nashville’s Swedish native (LW) Filip Forsberg with a deadly backhand scored to tie the game 1-1 forcing overtime, it was his eighth of the season.

It took the Predators a mere 44 seconds into overtime before Nashville’s 35 years old (C) Stamkos skated down the right side unmolested and snapped a blistering shot from near the right faceoff dot to the upper left corner over the goaltender’s shoulder for the win.

Nashville and Pittsburgh play game two in Stockholm, Sweden Sunday morning beginning at 9 am Eastern Standard Time.

I guess it’s to promote NHL hockey in Europe. Even though the games count in the NHL regular season standings,
I think it is a lot of trouble to go to, meaning the wear on players travelling so far there and back (and other countries other years), and more.
Does the NHL, or any organization in the host countries or here in North America, actually evaluate not just the popularity of the series in the host country but also the impact on the NHL itself? No need to answer. No skin off my back.
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