Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, Minnesota
TV/Streaming: ESPN+, MINNHL, STLNHL, BN+, Wild+
Two Central Division clubs meet for the first time this season. The Wild enter with a stronger overall record and home-ice advantage, while the Blues look to build on recent offensive outbursts amid injury challenges on both sides.
Current Rosters & Projected Lineups
St. Louis Blues (key active players):
Forwards include Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, and depth options.
Defense: Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler, Philip Broberg, Brandon Carlo, Justin Barron, Adam Jiříček.
Goalies: Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington.
Projected lines (recent patterns):
Holloway – Thomas – Snuggerud
McMichael – McTavish – Berggren
Neighbours – Dvorský – Buchnevich
Johnston – Suter – Peterson/Dean
Defense pairs: Broberg-Jiříček, Barron-Parayko, Fowler-Carlo. Hofer is a projected starter.
Minnesota Wild:
Forwards led by Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, with Blake Coleman, Ryan Hartman, Maxim Shabanov, and depth.
Defense: Quinn Hughes, Jonas Brodin, Olli Määttä, Zach Bogosian (status-dependent).
Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard (Gustavsson out long-term).
Projected lines (recent usage):
Kaprizov – Eriksson Ek – Boldy
Coleman – Hartman – Shabanov
Lorenz/Yurov – Brink and depth
Defense: Hughes with partners (Spurgeon day-to-day), Määttä-Brodin, Hunt-Bogosian/Spacek. Wallstedt is the projected starter.
Injury Reports
Blues: D Torey Krug (ankle, LTIR); C Dillon Dube (neck, IR, ~8 weeks); RW Alexey Toropchenko (upper body, IR); D Tyler Tucker (knee, IR); D Logan Mailloux (hand, IR); additional depth absences. Blue-line and forward depth are tested.
Wild: G Filip Gustavsson (hip, LTIR); D Brock Faber (skull fracture, IR); LW Marcus Foligno (lower body, IR); LW Nick Foligno (upper body, IR); C Nico Sturm (upper body, IR); D Jared Spurgeon (upper body, day-to-day). Significant absences on defense and forward checking lines.
Key Player Matchups
Kirill Kaprizov / Matt Boldy / Joel Eriksson Ek vs. Blues defense: Minnesota’s top line has been productive (Kaprizov recently multi-goal). Parayko, Fowler, and Broberg must limit their zone time and scoring chances.
Robert Thomas / Dylan Holloway / Jimmy Snuggerud vs. Wild defense: St. Louis’s top unit has chemistry and recent production. Hughes and Brodin will be key in containing them.
Goaltending: Joel Hofer (strong early form) vs. Jesper Wallstedt (excellent save percentage in limited sample). Both have posted solid numbers.
Special teams: Wild power play has been elite early (~37%); Blues PK has been strong. Faceoffs and transition will influence the game.
Secondary: Buchnevich’s two-way play and Hughes’ mobility against St. Louis’ forecheck.
Recent Team Forms
Blues: 3-2-1. Recent: Blowout win at Ottawa (7-2), win vs. Columbus (5-3), OT loss to San Jose, losses to Chicago and Colorado. Offense has clicked in recent games (around 3.5 GF/GP in stretches) despite injuries.
Wild: 4-2-1. Recent: Loss at Winnipeg (2-5, despite Kaprizov two goals), win vs. Vegas (4-2), wins over Florida and others, mixed results earlier. Strong special teams and home form (2-0-0 at home) stand out, though injuries have mounted.
Series History
First meeting of 2026-27. Central rivals with competitive recent history; results have gone both ways, often decided by special teams or goaltending. Home ice has been a factor in past matchups.
Betting Trends
Trends favor the home side and under in some Wild games due to defensive structure; public money leans Minnesota.
Minnesota holds the edge at home with better metrics in key areas, but St. Louis’s recent scoring surge and Hofer make this competitive. Special teams and the top-line matchups should decide the outcome as both clubs navigate injury absences.
Game Odds
St. Louis Blues 6
Minnesota Wild – 138
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 14, 2026
