Early look The full preview opens on Monday 18 January, 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

Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Puck drop21 Jan · 9:00 PM ET
VenueGrand Casino Arena
All-time meetings75 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

Detroit finished last season 16th 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 76

Across 75 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 44-21-10.

All-time record44-21-10Detroit's record in the series
Meetings played75This is number 76
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Minnesota
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
5 Apr 2026MIN 5 – DET 4——MIN
22 Jan 2026DET 3 – MIN 4 OT——MIN
25 Feb 2025DET 3 – MIN 2——DET
22 Feb 2025MIN 4 – DET 3 OT——MIN
27 Dec 2023DET 3 – MIN 6——MIN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateDetroitMinnesota
22 Jan 202631-16-5 · 67 pts3rd29-14-9 · 67 pts4th
5 Apr 202640-29-8 · 88 pts13th44-21-12 · 100 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 22 Jan 2026, Detroit were 3rd in the league and Minnesota 4th. By 5 Apr 2026 it was 13th and 7th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Detroit out-attempted Minnesota 140 to 118

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

Detroit Red Wings

140 att · 58 on goal · 7 G · 12.1%
Crease10 att · 2 G
Slot51 att · 2 G
Wing55 att · 2 G
Point20 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

118 att · 59 on goal · 9 G · 15.3%
Crease3 att · 0 G
Slot50 att · 4 G
Wing48 att · 5 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Minnesota have created the better 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.

DetroitMinnesota
3.23xG for per game3.01
2.85xG against per game2.83
53.1%xG share51.5%
−2.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0
+0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for Detroit, 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

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
97Kirill Kaprizov33031.00
20Blake Coleman31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
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 19 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 19 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Jan

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Jan

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

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 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

5 Apr 20269 · MIN 5–4 DET
22 Jan 20267 · DET 3–4 MIN
25 Feb 20255 · DET 3–2 MIN
22 Feb 20257 · MIN 4–3 DET
27 Dec 20239 · DET 3–6 MIN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Detroit2.332.672.943.15
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 suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct
Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov
Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

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
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft
#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C
#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW
#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG
Full draft

Updated after every final