Early look · NHL 2026-27

St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild: game preview

St. LouisBlues2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 37-33-12 · 86 pts · 22ndat

MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7th

Puck drop2 Jan · 7:00 PM ET

VenueGrand Casino Arena

All-time meetings124 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eighteen points apart last season

St. Louis finished last season 22nd in the league on 86 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104, and the 2025-26 season series went STL 2-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 125

Across 124 completed games, St. Louis lead the head-to-head 67-45-12.

All-time record67-45-12St. Louis's record in the series

Meetings played124This is number 125

2025-26 seriesSTL 2-1-0

Last 53-2St. Louis

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

13 Apr 2026MIN 3 – STL 631–22MIN 1/5 · STL 0/4STL

1 Mar 2026STL 3 – MIN 124–23STL 0/1 · MIN 1/2STL

9 Oct 2025MIN 5 – STL 021–26MIN 1/3 · STL 0/2MIN

15 Mar 2025STL 5 – MIN 128–18STL 0/2 · MIN 0/1STL

7 Jan 2025STL 4 – MIN 633–26STL 1/1 · MIN 0/0MIN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSt. LouisMinnesota

9 Oct 20250-1-0 · 0 pts32nd1-0-0 · 2 pts6th

1 Mar 202619-24-9 · 47 pts31st29-14-10 · 68 pts5th

13 Apr 202635-33-12 · 82 pts24th45-24-12 · 102 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, St. Louis were 32nd in the league and Minnesota 6th. By 13 Apr 2026 it was 24th and 7th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

St. Louis out-attempted Minnesota 297 to 255

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

St. Louis Blues

297 att · 133 on goal · 18 G · 13.5%

Crease22 att · 3 G

Slot100 att · 9 G

Wing103 att · 3 G

Point66 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 2 G

Minnesota Wild

255 att · 119 on goal · 16 G · 13.4%

Crease18 att · 2 G

Slot97 att · 7 G

Wing89 att · 5 G

Point38 att · 1 G

Neutral zone13 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

St. Louis 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.

St. LouisMinnesota

2.69xG for per game3.01

3.33xG against per game2.83

44.7%xG share51.5%

−1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0

−0.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for St. Louis, 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

St. Louis

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2712.5%

Power play · 2025-2617.6% · 26th

Power play · last 5 meetings1/10 · 10.0%

Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.7% · 25th

Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 83/186

Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings10 (2.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings1

Minnesota

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2736.4%

Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd

Power play · last 5 meetings3/11 · 27.3%

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 meetings11 (2.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Pavel Buchnevich has 6 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

89Pavel Buchnevich533610

18Robert Thomas52467

25Jordan Kyrou541514

12Matt Boldy42357

38Ryan Hartman42248

Marcus Johansson51346

97Kirill Kaprizov21345

63Jake Neighbours53035

55Jake Middleton52139

21Jimmy Snuggerud31235

Head-to-head finder

Pavel Buchnevich vs Minnesota · game by game

See all: Pavel Buchnevich vs Minnesota · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

13 Apr 2026home101117:07

1 Mar 2026away112217:07

9 Oct 2025home000316:09

15 Mar 2025away022218:33

7 Jan 2025away101218:37

Last 5 meetings6 P3 G, 3 A · 10 SOG

Next best6 PRobert Thomas, STL

2026-27 season1 P3 GP · 0 G

Blank vs MIN1 of 5

Full game log

Goaltending

Joel Hofer has started most of these meetings

Joel Hofer played 3 of the last 5 meetings with Minnesota, with a .931 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

St. Louis

Expected starter after their game on 31 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Minnesota

Expected starter after their game on 1 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Joel Hofer

See all: Joel Hofer →

STL · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Dec

SV% · 2026-27.9552 GP · 1.01 GAA · 2025-26 .910

vs Minnesota.9313 app · 72 SA · 5 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+2.82 starts · most on the roster

vs MINVenueSAGASV%

13 Apr 2026home313.903

1 Mar 2026away231.957

15 Mar 2025away181.944

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Jordan Binnington .833 (1 GP)

Full game log

Filip Gustavsson

See all: Filip Gustavsson →

MIN · 28-15-6 in 2025-26 Starter estimate from 30 Dec

SV% · 2025-26.90450 GP · 2.69 GAA

vs St. Louis.8705 app · 115 SA · 15 GA

GSAx · 2025-26+0.949 starts

vs STLVenueSAGASV%

13 Apr 2026away215.762

1 Mar 2026home232.913

9 Oct 2025away2601.000

15 Mar 2025home274.852

7 Jan 2025home184.778

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Jesper Wallstedt .933 (3 GP)

Full game log

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

13 Apr 20269 · MIN 3–6 STL

1 Mar 20264 · STL 3–1 MIN

9 Oct 20255 · MIN 5–0 STL

15 Mar 20256 · STL 5–1 MIN

7 Jan 202510 · STL 4–6 MIN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

St. Louis2.333.332.823.15

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 meetings6.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

St. Louis · injuries

Alexey ToropchenkoUpper BodyIRReturn14 Nov

Felix TrudeauUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Logan MaillouxHandIRReturn25 Nov

Tyler TuckerKneeIRReturn12 Nov

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct

Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov

Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

5 Oct · STL

Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve.

27 Sep · STL

Placed G Georgii Romanov and D Calle Rosen on waivers. Claimed RD Justin Barron off waivers.

19 Sep · STL

Placed D Marc Andre Gaudet was placed on waivers.

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

St. Louis · 2026 draft

See all: St. Louis · 2026 draft →

#11Tynan LawrenceRound 1 · Boston UniversityC

#16Maddox DagenaisRound 1 · QuebecC

#75Luke SchairerRound 3 · Usa U-18D

#107Landon NyczRound 4 · UmassD

Full draft

Minnesota · 2026 draft

See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →

#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C

#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW

#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG

Full draft

Saturday 2 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 2 January · the full slate →

MINThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Eighteen points apart last season

Meeting number 125

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

St. Louis out-attempted Minnesota 297 to 255

St. Louis Blues

Minnesota Wild

St. Louis and Minnesota are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

St. Louis

Minnesota

Pavel Buchnevich has 6 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Pavel Buchnevich vs Minnesota · game by game

Joel Hofer has started most of these meetings

Joel Hofer

Filip Gustavsson

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

7 on the injury lists

St. Louis · injuries

Minnesota · injuries

Latest moves

St. Louis · 2026 draft

Minnesota · 2026 draft

Saturday 2 January · the full slate