Larsson 'really happy' to be in Sweden as Penguins' 3rd goalie for Global Series

STOCKHOLM -- Filip Larsson felt right at home when the Pittsburgh Penguins practiced at Hovet Arena earlier this week.

Not only is Larsson a Stockholm native, but Hovet Arena was the 27-year-old goalie's home arena for three seasons (2014-2017) when he played for Djurgardens' junior team as a teenager.

"It's nice to be back," Larsson said Tuesday.

Larsson is here as the Penguins' third goalie for the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal. Pittsburgh (9-5-3) will face the Nashville Predators (5-9-4) at Avicii Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN) and Sunday (9 a.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN).

Recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League shortly before the Penguins departed for Stockholm on Monday, Larsson will only dress if something happens to one of Pittsburgh's other two goalies, Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov. But Larsson welcomed the opportunity to spend a few days in his hometown, see some family and friends, and experience the Global Series.

"I just found out a couple days ago," he said. "So, since then I've been really looking forward to it and it's a lot of fun to be home."

Larsson, who lives about 10 minutes from the complex where Avicii Arena and Hovet Arena are located, said his family was "probably shocked" when he told them he was coming to Stockholm with the Penguins.

"I didn't tell them until [Monday] because I found out two days ago," he said. "With the time difference, I just told them, 'Yeah, I'm coming home on [Tuesday].' So, really happy to see me."

Still seeking to make his NHL debut, Larsson is 3-0-1 with a 2.92 goal-against average and .891 save percentage in five AHL games this season. He was fifth on Pittsburgh's goalie depth chart at the start of training camp in September, but he moved up after Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist each sustained a lower-body injury.

The news last week that Jarry was expected to miss at least three weeks led to Murashav's promotion from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and left Larsson wondering if he might get the call to go to Stockholm.

"When two guys were injured and usually on these trips it's always three goalies going, so I figured I'm going to head over," Larsson said. "But when I didn't hear anything a few days ahead of it, I was like, 'Maybe not.' But it was in the back of my head."

Larsson is one of three Swedish players on the trip with the Penguins; defenseman Erik Karlsson is from Landsbro (approximately a four-hour drive from Stockholm), and injured forward Rickard Rakell hails from Sundbyberg (about 20 minutes away). Pittsburgh forward Filip Hallander is from Sundsvall but was unable to make the trip because he's recovering from a blood clot in his leg.

"I think it obviously is a lot of excitement for everybody coming over here, but especially guys that are from here to have that opportunity," Penguins coach Dan Muse said. "It's an amazing opportunity."

Larsson got his first in-person taste of the NHL as a young fan when he attended one of the two games here between the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010 NHL Premiere Series, which opened the 2010-11 season. He quickly saw the impact the League can have by playing games here.

"It's a big time difference from Sweden to the U.S. (six hours), so when I grew up, I didn't watch many NHL games," Larsson said. "I remember I went to one game, and it's still a great memory for me and it was very cool to see these NHL players. I think [Swedish fans] kind of get to see how much better this league is than the SHL (Swedish Hockey League) and the leagues they usually watch.

"So, I think it's huge for the kids to see how much fun it is to watch and what it takes to get here."

Larsson has experienced a long journey since his days with Djurgardens' junior team to get to this point. That included playing a collegiate season with the University of Denver in 2018-19 before signing with the Detroit Red Wings, who had selected him in sixth round (No. 167) of the 2016 NHL Draft.

He split the 2019-20 season between Grand Rapids in the AHL and Toledo of the ECHL before returning to Europe to play in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier professional league, with Almtuna (2020-21), HV71 (2021-22) and Kristianstads (2022-23), with a 10-game stint with Frederikshavn in Denmark (2020-21) mixed in. He signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh in 2024 after he was 19-9-0 with a 1.93 GAA, .920 save percentage and five shutouts in 28 games with Leksands IF of the SHL, Sweden's top professional league, in 2023-24.

When Larsson heard in March that the Penguins were going to play in the NHL Global Series in Stockholm this season, thoughts of a possible homecoming immediately went through his mind.

"I really wanted to go -- that was my reaction, just because probably a thing you can only do once in your life," he said. "To go here, it's not many teams. … So, I think it's a cool experience to be back home and so close to my home."