Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT)
Broadcast: Scripps Sports / The Spot (Nashville), MINNHL / Wild+ (Minnesota market), ESPN+ (streaming/out-of-market)
This is the season opener for both Central Division clubs. The Wild visit as slight road favorites, while the Predators host Opening Night at Bridgestone Arena with a healthy roster.
Projected Lineups / Current Rosters
Wild projected lineup
Forwards:
Blake Coleman – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Kirill Kaprizov – Danila Yurov – Maxim Shabanov
Yakov Trenin – Ryan Hartman – Bobby Brink
Nick Foligno – Michael McCarron – Marcus Foligno Defense:
Quinn Hughes – Jared Spurgeon
Olli Maatta – Jonas Brodin
Daemon Hunt – Zach Bogosian (or David Spacek) Goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt (expected starter) / Calvin Pickard
Predators projected lineup:
Forwards:
Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Alex Kerfoot
Filip Forsberg – Matthew Wood – Nils Hoglander
Ross Colton – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault
Reid Schaefer – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom Defense:
Roman Josi and supporting pairings (Brady Skjei, Nicolas Hague, others including Nick Perbix, Adam Wilsby, etc.) Goaltenders: Juuse Saros (expected) / Justus Annunen Nashville’s entire active roster is healthy. Minnesota is missing key pieces on the blue line and in net.
Injury Reports
Wild:
Brock Faber (skull fracture) – out / IR (underwent surgery; no firm timetable, potentially multi-week absence)
Filip Gustavsson (hip) – out / IR (recovering from offseason surgery; expected return around early November)
Predators:
None reported. Full health for Opening Night.
Recent Team Forms
Wild: Finished 46-24-12 (104 points) last season, strong defensively (2.87 GA/GP, top-4 range) with a potent attack led by Kirill Kaprizov (45 goals, 89 points) and Matt Boldy (42 goals, 85 points). They made the playoffs and pushed in the postseason. Jesper Wallstedt is stepping into the No. 1 role with Gustavsson sidelined. Preseason included the significant Faber injury. Quinn Hughes adds high-end offensive blue-line talent.
Predators: Went 38-34-10 (86 points) and missed the playoffs last season. Led by Filip Forsberg (40 goals) and Steven Stamkos, with Ryan O’Reilly providing two-way reliability and Roman Josi anchoring the defense. They enter with a new GM (Chris MacFarland) and a healthy group eager for a strong home start. Juuse Saros remains the cornerstone in net.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Kirill Kaprizov / Danila Yurov / Maxim Shabanov vs. Roman Josi and top Predators defense: Kaprizov’s elite skill and shot against Nashville’s veteran blue line. Quinn Hughes’ transition game will also challenge the Predators.
Matt Boldy / Joel Eriksson Ek / Blake Coleman vs. Steven Stamkos / Ryan O’Reilly / Alex Kerfoot: Two-way centers and scoring wingers in a key matchup of structure vs. experience.
Filip Forsberg / Matthew Wood / Nils Hoglander vs. Wild defensive pairs (Hughes-Spurgeon or Brodin-Maatta): Forsberg’s scoring touch testing Minnesota’s structure without Faber.
Goaltending: Jesper Wallstedt vs. Juuse Saros. Wallstedt showed promise last season; Saros is the established veteran.
Special teams: Wild had a strong power play last season (~25%); Predators solid on the PK. Physicality from Foligno brothers and Predators’ bottom-six could factor.
Blue-line impact: Absence of Faber elevates Hughes and Spurgeon’s workload against Nashville’s skilled forwards.
Series History
Nashville holds a strong all-time edge (approximately 49-29-5-13 overall, much better at home: ~30-10-2-6). Recent meetings have been competitive (Wild 2-2 last season in some reports; Predators strong in last 10 overall and at Bridgestone). Home openers have generally favored Nashville historically.
Betting Trends
Minnesota has been a solid road team; Nashville strong at home in this series. Combined scoring averages last season sat near the total. Wild’s defensive injury (Faber) and goaltending change create some uncertainty that could push totals higher. Public often backs the favorite.
Game Odds
Minnesota Wild – 142
Nashville Predators 6
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, September 30, 2026
