Scouting Report (Courtesy of Stats LLC)
Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine will take center stage on Thursday in their home nation of Finland.
Barkov’s Florida Panthers (2-4-3) and Laine’s Winnipeg Jets (7-4-1) will square off for two nights in a row at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.
Both Barkov, 23, and Laine, 20, were born in Tampere, a two-hour drive from Helsinki. The two stars are on opposing sides in the NHL but they were linemates while playing for Finland in 2016 for the IIHF World Championship.