Global Series so much more than ordinary hockey for Predators’ Filip Forsberg
This article originally appeared at hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
Once again, the NHL is in Sweden for the Global Series. This weekend, the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins are set to play two games at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
The number of Swedish players participating in the games seems to shrink by the week. Both Rickard Rakell and Filip Hållander have been ruled out for the Penguins due to injuries, while defenseman Adam Wilsby is a question mark for the Predators.
But one Swede who will definitely be in the lineup is Nashville’s star forward Filip Forsberg. The 31-year-old describes the opportunity to play on home soil as a dream come true.
“It’s going to be fantastic and something I’ve hoped for and really dreamed of ever since I knew the NHL was coming to Sweden,” Filip Forsberg says. “Above all, it will be extra special in Sweden with my family and a lot of friends being able to be there.”
Doesn’t that also mean added pressure to perform? Not according to Forsberg.
“Of course it would be great to play well and, above all, to win. But mostly it’s just fun, an opportunity, and maybe the last chance for me to play on Swedish ice. I’m just going to try to enjoy it as much as possible,” he says. “Once I’m out there, I obviously don’t want anything other than to win and of course play well in front of the Swedish fans, but first and foremost I’m just going to go out there and really enjoy it.”
He hopes he can balance the experience between having fun and staying loose outside the rink, and being serious on the ice.
“It’s a little bit of both, of course. In one sense it’s a regular game, and once the puck drops it’s dead serious,” Filip Forsberg says. “Everything around it will be special, especially for me. Hopefully the rest of the team will feel the same way after a couple of days in Sweden. It’s definitely going to be extra special.”
As one of the only Swedes on the team, one might think that Forsberg has taken on the role of tour guide. But it turns out the other Swede has stepped up in that regard.
“(Adam) Wilsby has actually taken quite a lot of responsibility for that. I really want to give him a lot of credit because he’s handled most of that,” Forsberg says. “He’s from Stockholm and has a bit better knowledge and more connections than I do. I’m involved and trying to help out however I can, at least.”
While the Predators have struggled during the first month of action in the NHL, their upcoming opponent has surprised everyone. Players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are closer to 40 than 30 but have still been able to elevate the Penguins to a higher place in the standings than most people predicted ahead of the season.
“Pittsburgh has been really good this season, had a bit of a reset and made a strong start to the year,” Forsberg admits. “They’re absolutely a world-class team. In the NHL there are no bad teams – anyone can beat anyone on any given night. But if you look at the lineup on paper, they’ve got some brilliant stars, especially the three you just mentioned.”
It’s hard to say the same thing about the Preds. But despite being one of the bottom-feeders of the Western Conference, Filip Forsberg still sees some bright spots.
“It’s been okay. Good at times. Less good at times. We’ve had trouble scoring goals so far, just like last season. We scored four against Vancouver, but otherwise it’s been 2–2, 3–1 and so on. Offensively it’s been a bit so-so, but defensively I think it looks better than last year. Every game comes down to the final minute. Either we tie it up and take it to overtime or, like against Philadelphia, they score into the empty net. That’s kind of how the start has been in terms of points, but I think we’ve played well and deserved more points – although you can always say that.”
So far, Filip Forsberg has scored seven goals and registered 13 points in 17 games for Nashville.
“My season has been kind of the same, but the last few games have felt really good. It was a bit of a slow start, but hopefully my best hockey is coming now – especially with us heading home to Sweden. It’s gotten better, and it feels like I’m getting going more and more.”
He hopes that the trip to Sweden can provide the Predators with a turning point for the season.
“Yeah, I think that can be good. We were in Prague a few years ago, but then we started the season over there, which was a bit different. We also had part of training camp on the other side that time, so this trip can be a really fun one and help us come together even more. We’ve got a few days in Sweden before the games start, so we’ll have the chance to have some nice team dinners, have fun with the boys and practice. Hopefully we’ll come back with two wins, which would be great for our confidence. The timing of this trip is really good.”
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