Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 23 December, 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

Winnipeg Jets at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Puck drop26 Dec · 7:00 PM ET
VenueGrand Casino Arena
All-time meetings58 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-two points apart last season

Winnipeg finished last season 26th in the league on 82 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104, and the 2025-26 season series went WPG 2-1-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 59

Across 58 completed games, Winnipeg lead the head-to-head 32-21-5.

All-time record32-21-5Winnipeg's record in the series
Meetings played58This is number 59
2025-26 seriesWPG 2-1-1
Last 53-2Winnipeg
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
15 Jan 2026WPG 6 – MIN 229–34WPG 2/4 · MIN 0/3WPG
27 Dec 2025MIN 4 – WPG 3 OT19–26MIN 1/4 · WPG 0/3MIN
23 Nov 2025MIN 3 – WPG 030–32MIN 0/1 · WPG 0/4MIN
28 Oct 2025WPG 4 – MIN 3 OT21–35WPG 0/1 · MIN 1/4WPG
21 Dec 2024MIN 0 – WPG 519–24MIN 0/4 · WPG 2/5WPG
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateWinnipegMinnesota
28 Oct 20257-3-0 · 14 pts7th3-5-3 · 9 pts29th
23 Nov 202512-9-0 · 24 pts22nd12-7-4 · 28 pts7th
27 Dec 202515-17-4 · 34 pts30th23-10-6 · 52 pts3rd
15 Jan 202619-22-5 · 43 pts31st26-13-9 · 61 pts4th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Oct 2025, Winnipeg were 7th in the league and Minnesota 29th. By 15 Jan 2026 it was 31st and 4th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Minnesota out-attempted Winnipeg 290 to 280

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

Winnipeg Jets

280 att · 132 on goal · 18 G · 13.6%
Crease20 att · 4 G
Slot111 att · 9 G
Wing98 att · 3 G
Point46 att · 2 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

290 att · 137 on goal · 12 G · 8.8%
Crease17 att · 3 G
Slot126 att · 9 G
Wing100 att · 0 G
Point32 att · 0 G
Neutral zone15 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.

WinnipegMinnesota
3.37xG for per game3.01
3.37xG against per game2.83
50.0%xG share51.5%
−1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0
+2.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for Winnipeg, 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

Winnipeg

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.5% · 24th
Power play · last 5 meetings4/17 · 23.5%
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 21st
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 79/177
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings17 (3.40/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings4

Minnesota

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2736.4%
Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd
Power play · last 5 meetings2/16 · 12.5%
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 meetings16 (3.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings2

Skaters

Mark Scheifele has 8 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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
81Kyle Connor33251.67
91Cole Perfetti32351.67
17Adam Lowry31231.00
97Kirill Kaprizov33031.00
20Blake Coleman31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Josh Morrissey30331.00
2Dylan DeMelo31120.67
38Mario Ferraro31010.33
43Quinn Hughes31341.33
46Jared Spurgeon31231.00
3Olli Maatta30110.33
Defencemen stats

Mark Scheifele vs Minnesota · game by game

See all: Mark Scheifele vs Minnesota · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
15 Jan 2026away134218:55
27 Dec 2025home112521:09
23 Nov 2025home000222:01
28 Oct 2025away022219:09
21 Dec 2024home000221:19
Last 5 meetings8 P2 G, 6 A · 13 SOG
Next best5 PKirill Kaprizov, MIN
2026-27 season0 P3 GP · 0 G
Blank vs MIN2 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Connor Hellebuyck has been the difference

Connor Hellebuyck faced 107 shots across 4 appearances against Minnesota and conceded 9, a .916 save percentage against a season figure of .895. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 22 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 22 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

WPG · 23-23-11 in 2025-26 Starter estimate from 23 Dec

SV% · 2025-26.89557 GP · 2.86 GAA
vs Minnesota.9164 app · 107 SA · 9 GA
GSAx · 2025-26+4.957 starts
vs MINVenueSAGASV%
15 Jan 2026away342.941
27 Dec 2025home194.789
28 Oct 2025away353.914
21 Dec 2024home1901.000

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Stuart Skinner .909 (2 GP) · Clay Stevenson .938 (1 GP)

Full game log

MIN · 2-0-1 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Dec

SV% · 2026-27.9333 GP · 1.63 GAA · 2025-26 .916
vs Winnipeg.8634 app · 102 SA · 14 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+3.53 starts · most on the roster
vs WPGVenueSAGASV%
15 Jan 2026home206.700
27 Dec 2025away263.885
23 Nov 2025away3201.000
21 Dec 2024away245.792
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

15 Jan 20268 · WPG 6–2 MIN
27 Dec 20257 · MIN 4–3 WPG
23 Nov 20253 · MIN 3–0 WPG
28 Oct 20257 · WPG 4–3 MIN
21 Dec 20245 · MIN 0–5 WPG

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Winnipeg3.002.672.823.17
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 meetings6.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Winnipeg · injuries

Connor HellebuyckSuspensionIRReturn17 Oct
Elias SalomonssonShoulderIRReturn15 Oct
Garrett BrownLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Walker DuehrLower BodyIRReturn17 Oct

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct
Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov
Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
10 Aug 2026 · WPG

Signed F Tyrel Bauer to a two-year contract.

15 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Cole Perfetti to a five-year contract.

13 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Viggo Björck to a three-year contract.

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
#8Viggo BjorckRound 1 · DjurgardenC
#71Samuel HrenakRound 3 · FargoG
#116Zach WootenRound 4 · Green BayLW
#135Alexandre TailleferRound 5 · QuebecD
Full draft
#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C
#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW
#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG
Full draft

Updated after every final