The Minnesota Wild (28-13-9) visit the Montreal Canadiens (27-15-7) in a cross-conference clash at Bell Centre. The Wild are coming off a win over Toronto, extending their strong road form, while the Canadiens snapped a two-game skid with an overtime victory against Ottawa. This matchup features elite snipers and solid goaltending, but injuries to key Wild players could tilt the scales toward Montreal’s home-ice advantage. Expect a defensive battle with potential for high-scoring bursts if special teams come into play.
Game Details
Puckdrop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT)
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
TV Broadcast: ESPN+, TSN2, RDS, FDSNNO, FDSNWI
How to Watch: NHL Network (streaming available via ESPN+)
Recent Team Forms
The Wild are 2-3 in their last five, with losses highlighting defensive vulnerabilities amid injuries. The Canadiens are 3-2 in their last five, showing offensive resilience in comebacks.
Minnesota Wild Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Jan 19 | vs. Toronto Maple Leafs | W | 6-3 |
| Jan 17 | @ Buffalo Sabres | W | 5-4 |
| Jan 15 | vs. Winnipeg Jets | L | 2-6 |
| Jan 12 | vs. New Jersey Devils | L | 2-5 |
| Jan 10 | vs. New York Islanders | L | 3-4 (OT) |
Montreal Canadiens Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| Jan 17 | @ Ottawa Senators | W | 6-5 (OT) |
| Jan 15 | vs. Washington Capitals | L | 3-4 |
| Jan 13 | vs. Florida Panthers | W | 5-3 |
| Jan 10 | vs. Detroit Red Wings | L | 2-4 |
| Jan 8 | vs. Vancouver Canucks | W | 4-2 |
Injury Report
The Wild are dealing with multiple key absences in their forward and defensive groups, potentially impacting depth. The Canadiens are without several forwards, but their core remains intact.
Minnesota Wild: Marcus Johansson (LW) – Out (Lower Body); Matt Boldy (LW) – IR (Undisclosed); Joel Eriksson Ek (C) – IR (Lower Body); Jonas Brodin (D) – IR (Lower Body); Zach Bogosian (D) – IR (Undisclosed).
Montreal Canadiens: Patrik Laine (RW) – IR (Abdomen, expected back Feb. 28); Kirby Dach (C) – Out (Foot); Alex Newhook (C) – IR (Ankle); David Reinbacher (D) – Out.
Key Player Matchups
This game highlights offensive firepower against stout defenses. Minnesota’s injuries may force reliance on secondary scoring, while Montreal’s pace (10th in league) could exploit the Wild’s depleted blue line.
Kirill Kaprizov (Wild) vs. Cole Caufield (Canadiens): Kaprizov (leading Wild scorer, ~0.9 PPG) brings speed and shot volume. Caufield (recent multi-goal games, 0.66 GPG) is Montreal’s sniper; expect a battle of elite finishers from the circles.
Marcus Foligno (Wild) vs. Nick Suzuki (Canadiens): Foligno (recent hat trick) adds physicality and net-front presence. Suzuki (team-leading points, 50% chance of 1+ PT) is a two-way center who could neutralize Foligno’s forecheck.
Quinn Hughes (Wild) vs. Lane Hutson (Canadiens): Hughes (defensive anchor, high assists) quarterbacks Minnesota’s power play. Hutson (rookie standout) provides offensive spark from the blue line for Montreal.
Goaltending: Filip Gustavsson (Wild) vs. Sam Montembeault (Canadiens): Gustavsson (90% SV, 24 saves projected) faces a tough test. Montembeault (3.44 GAA) has the edge at home (23 saves projected).
Minnesota ranks 7th in GAA (2.80) but 23rd in last 10 games. Montreal is 7th in goals scored recently.
Series History
The Wild lead the all-time series 23-9-1-2 (including 23-7-1-2 in some records).
Minnesota has dominated recently, going 18-1-0 in the last 19 meetings and riding a nine-game win streak against Montreal.
Last meetings:
Jan 30, 2025: Wild 4-0 vs. Canadiens
Nov 14, 2024: Wild 3-0 vs. Canadiens
Dec 21, 2023: Wild 4-3 vs. Canadiens
Average margin in Wild’s recent wins: +2.5 goals.
Betting Trends
Spread:
Wild are 28-21 ATS overall (57.1% cover rate) but 12-13 ATS on the road. Canadiens are 24-25 ATS but 14-10 ATS at home and 19-10 ATS as -200 or less favorites.
Over/Under: 6.5 (+100 to -120). Teams combine for 5.8 GPG, but opponents allow 6.2. Wild games hit under 55% (27/49); Canadiens over 59% (29/49).
Over in 4 of last 5 Canadiens games; under in 5 of Wild’s last 7 road games. Other Trends: Wild 42-62 ML vs. winning teams (-12.7 units); Canadiens 41-43 ML in non-conference (+7.4 units). Wild 35-28 over on road with O/U 6+.
Game Odds
Minnesota Wild 6.5
Montreal Canadiens – 142
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, January 19, 2026
