As reported back in January, the Devils will open the 2018-19 season overseas in Sweden. They will also be finishing up their training camp and exhibition season in Switzerland. More details have emerged regarding the trip via the NHL.
The Devils will finish up training camp in Switzerland and play their final exhibition game against SC Bern of the Swiss National League on October 1, 2018. The game will be at 7:30 PM CET, which is 1:30 PM ET here in the United States. That game will take place at the PostFinance Arena in Bern.
NHL.com spoke with Devils rookie Nico Hischier, a native of Switzerland, of course, “who grew up an hour from Bern.” He said, “I don’t think something like this will happen that often so I’ll really enjoy this.” He continued: “To be able to do something like this is going to be a lot of fun, for sure. To have the opportunity to do this is pretty amazing and I’m happy that the NHL does this.”
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers will be in Cologne, Germany finishing up their training camp and exhibition season against Kolner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga at Lanxess Arena. Kolner Haie is actually coached by Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl’s father.
The teams will then meet up in their NHL season opener at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden on October 6, 2018. Puck drop for that game is 7 PM CET, or 1 PM ET here in New Jersey. That game is part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.
The 2018 Global Series will also include the Florida Panthers taking on the Winnipeg Jets for two regular season games in Helsinki, Finland on November 1 and 2, 2018.
According to the NHL.com article on the subject, the Devils and Oilers will play in the ninth regular season NHL game to be played in Sweden (the first in Gothenburg after eight in Stockholm). There have been 22 total NHL regular season games played in Europe. The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators played in Sweden last season.
If you happen to be a Devils fan in Switzerland or Sweden or are planning to make the trip across the pond to see the Devils, you can get tickets to the games starting next week. The Devils game against SC Bern goes on sale on Monday at 10 AM CET (4 AM ET here) at www.ticketcorner.ch. The regular season game against the Oilers in Gothenburg, Sweden goes on sale at 9 AM CET (3 AM ET) on www.livenation.se.
The NHL says that “VIP hospitality packages will be available for purchase at a later date.” Broadcast details will also be announcer later. Swedish fans can also visit NHL.com/sv for more information.