‹SUN OCT 18›
2 games
Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 15 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Puck drop18 Oct · 6:00 PM ET
VenueGrand Casino Arena
All-time meetings74 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 75

Across 74 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 39-25-10.

All-time record39-25-10Minnesota's record in the series
Meetings played74This is number 75
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Minnesota
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
18 Dec 2025MIN 5 – CBJ 2——MIN
11 Oct 2025CBJ 7 – MIN 4——CBJ
19 Oct 2024MIN 3 – CBJ 1——MIN
10 Oct 2024CBJ 2 – MIN 3——MIN
6 Jan 2024MIN 4 – CBJ 3 OT——MIN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusMinnesota
11 Oct 20251-1-0 · 2 pts14th1-1-0 · 2 pts13th
18 Dec 202514-14-6 · 34 pts25th21-9-5 · 47 pts3rd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Oct 2025, Columbus were 14th in the league and Minnesota 13th. By 18 Dec 2025 it was 25th and 3rd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Minnesota out-attempted Columbus 145 to 129

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Columbus Blue Jackets

129 att · 61 on goal · 9 G · 14.8%
Crease5 att · 0 G
Slot56 att · 4 G
Wing54 att · 5 G
Point11 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

145 att · 80 on goal · 9 G · 11.3%
Crease8 att · 4 G
Slot54 att · 3 G
Wing56 att · 1 G
Point22 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus and Minnesota are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ColumbusMinnesota
2.43xG for per game3.01
2.78xG against per game2.83
46.7%xG share51.5%
+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0
−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 3 for Minnesota. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Minnesota

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2736.4%
Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.8% · 16th
Faceoffs · 2026-2748.0% · 84/175
Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
97Kirill Kaprizov33031.00
20Blake Coleman31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
43Quinn Hughes31341.33
46Jared Spurgeon31231.00
3Olli Maatta30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 15 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Oct

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Oct

Jesper Wallstedt.9333 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.5

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

18 Dec 20257 · MIN 5–2 CBJ
11 Oct 202511 · CBJ 7–4 MIN
19 Oct 20244 · MIN 3–1 CBJ
10 Oct 20245 · CBJ 2–3 MIN
6 Jan 20247 · MIN 4–3 CBJ

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Columbus3.503.503.093.09
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

3 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct
Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov
Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

24 Sep · MIN

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.

14 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.

13 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft
#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C
#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW
#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG
Full draft

Updated after every final