Washington Capitals at Minnesota Wild: game preview
WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12that
MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7thNine points apart last season
Washington finished last season 12th in the league on 95 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.
Meeting number 37
Across 36 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 19-14-3.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Oct 2025, Washington were 3rd in the league and Minnesota 23rd. By 16 Dec 2025 it was 10th and 3rd.
Washington out-attempted Minnesota 142 to 100
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild
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.
This season: 2 games for Washington, 3 for Minnesota. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Washington, 10 for Minnesota.
2025-26: 82 games for Washington, 82 for Minnesota.
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
Washington
Small sampleMinnesota
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 5 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 6 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Washington crease
WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Mar
No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.
Minnesota crease
MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Mar
No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.
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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Washington3.002.503.212.98
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93Goals 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.
6 on the injury lists
Washington · injuries
Minnesota · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).
Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.
Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).
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.
Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.
Washington · 2026 draft
See all: Washington · 2026 draft →Minnesota · 2026 draft
See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final