Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, Minnesota
TV/Streaming: MINNHL, Wild+, MSGSN, ESPN+ (regional restrictions may apply)
This is the first meeting of the 2026-27 season between the Metropolitan Division Islanders and the Central Division-leading Wild. Minnesota enters as a strong home favorite on a three-game winning streak, while New York wraps up a three-game Western Conference road trip after a shootout win in Nashville.
Injury Reports
New York Islanders:
Mathew Barzal (C) – IR, knee (out since training camp; skating on his own, no firm timeline; expected out at least into early November).
Alexander Romanov (D) – IR, torn ACL (surgery; out 6-8 months).
Matias Maccelli (LW) – IR, lower body (expected 2-4 weeks; retroactive to Oct. 17).
Calum Ritchie (C) – IR, lower body (expected 4-6 weeks; retroactive to Oct. 17).
Depth forwards and defensemen have filled in; the team has used 11 forwards/7 defensemen at times.
Minnesota Wild:
Filip Gustavsson (G) – LTIR, hip (expected out at least until mid-to-late November).
Brock Faber (D) – IR, skull fracture (procedure completed; expected return around early November).
Nick Foligno (LW) – IR, upper body (eligible/possible return around Oct. 29).
Marcus Foligno (LW) – IR, lower body (eligible/possible return around Oct. 29).
Jared Spurgeon (D) – Day-to-day, undisclosed (left Tuesday’s game after blocking shots; status uncertain for Thursday).
Morning skates and final confirmations will determine exact availability, particularly for Spurgeon and the Foligno brothers.
Projected Rosters / Line Combinations
Islanders (recent practice/game trends under coach Pete DeBoer):
Forwards:
Simon Holmstrom – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Emil Heineman – Brayden Schenn – Victor Eklund
Ondrej Palat – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair
Casey Cizikas – Mitchell Chaffee (with Kyle MacLean as a possible extra/scratch option) Defense:
Logan Stanley – Matthew Schaefer
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Matthew Kessel – Tony DeAngelo
(Scott Mayfield as seventh D) Goaltenders: Ilya Sorokin (likely starter; strong recent numbers) / Semyon Varlamov (won Tuesday in shootout).
Wild (recent lineup vs. Utah):
Forwards:
Kirill Kaprizov – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Blake Coleman – Michael McCarron – Bobby Brink
Yakov Trenin – Danila Yurov – Maxim Shabanov
Nico Sturm – Ryan Hartman – Tyler Pitlick Defense:
Quinn Hughes – Jared Spurgeon (if available)
Jonas Brodin – Olli Maatta
Matt Kiersted – Zach Bogosian Goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt (projected starter; strong early season) / Calvin Pickard.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) vs. Islanders defense / Schaefer-Stanley pair: Kaprizov is on a tear with 14 goals and 23 points in 14 games (NHL goal-scoring pace leader territory, hot shooting percentage). He has multi-point efforts in recent games and drives Minnesota’s top line with Boldy and Eriksson Ek. The Islanders’ top pair and strong overall defense (top-5 GA/GP) will be tested heavily.
Bo Horvat / Simon Holmstrom (NYI) vs. Wild top six / Hughes: Horvat leads the Islanders in goals and points; Holmstrom has been productive of late. Minnesota’s elite defensive core (Hughes outstanding offensively and defensively) and Wallstedt will challenge New York’s limited scoring depth without Barzal.
Special teams battle: Wild power play (~26.5%, top-10) vs. Islanders penalty kill (~85%, strong). Islanders faceoffs are excellent (~55%, elite); Wild are more average.
Goaltending: Sorokin (solid .91+ range) vs. Wallstedt (strong early numbers around .92). Both teams rank among the league’s better defensive clubs (Wild 3rd in GA/GP at ~2.21; Islanders 5th at ~2.58).
Recent Team Forms
Islanders (Last 10: 5-3-2): Came off a 4-3 shootout win at Nashville (Varlamov’s first win in nearly two years) after a 6-3 loss at Dallas. Strong defensive structure and faceoff edge, but offense is middle-of-the-pack (~2.92 GF/GP) and power play lags (~15.8%). Road trip has been mixed; they are competitive but missing key pieces.
Wild (Last 10: 7-2-1, current W3): Riding wins over Utah, Vancouver, and Seattle. Excellent underlying numbers (strong shot share, top-tier defense, potent PP). Kaprizov, Boldy, Hughes, and Eriksson Ek have carried the load amid injuries. Home ice at Grand Casino Arena has been a major plus.
Series History
All-time regular-season edge favors the Wild (roughly 20-15-2 or similar depending on exact historical accounting; Minnesota has dominated more recent meetings). Islanders are 1-4-0 in their last five trips to Minnesota and roughly 2-7-1 in the last 10 overall meetings. Last season’s results were split (Islanders took one in St. Paul in OT via Holmstrom; Wild won the other). No meetings yet this season.
Betting Trends
Trends favor the home team: Minnesota’s form, defensive ranking, power-play edge, and Kaprizov’s heater. Islanders’ defensive reliability and faceoff strength keep games closer than expected, but road offense without Barzal/Maccelli is a concern. Totals have leaned under in some recent Islanders games; Wild games can open up with their offense.
Game Odds
New York Islanders 5.5
Minnesota Wild – 186
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 28, 2026
