Early look · NHL 2026-27

Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild: game preview

EdmontonOilers2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 41-30-11 · 93 pts · 14that

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

Puck drop25 Mar · 9:00 PM ET

VenueGrand Casino Arena

All-time meetings115 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eleven points apart last season

Edmonton finished last season 14th in the league on 93 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 116

Across 115 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 72-36-7.

All-time record72-36-7Minnesota's record in the series

Meetings played115This is number 116

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Minnesota

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

31 Jan 2026MIN 7 – EDM 3——MIN

20 Dec 2025EDM 2 – MIN 5——MIN

2 Dec 2025MIN 1 – EDM 0——MIN

15 Jan 2025EDM 5 – MIN 3——EDM

12 Dec 2024EDM 7 – MIN 1——EDM

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateEdmontonMinnesota

2 Dec 202511-11-5 · 27 pts25th15-7-5 · 35 pts3rd

20 Dec 202517-13-6 · 40 pts16th22-9-5 · 49 pts3rd

31 Jan 202627-19-8 · 62 pts12th29-14-10 · 68 pts5th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 2 Dec 2025, Edmonton were 25th in the league and Minnesota 3rd. By 31 Jan 2026 it was 12th and 5th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Edmonton out-attempted Minnesota 228 to 166

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

Edmonton Oilers

228 att · 105 on goal · 5 G · 4.8%

Crease24 att · 1 G

Slot87 att · 4 G

Wing72 att · 0 G

Point43 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

166 att · 90 on goal · 13 G · 14.4%

Crease19 att · 2 G

Slot80 att · 7 G

Wing46 att · 3 G

Point15 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Edmonton 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.

EdmontonMinnesota

3.31xG for per game3.01

2.10xG against per game2.83

61.2%xG share51.5%

+7.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0

−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for Edmonton, 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

Edmonton

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2630.6% · 1st

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2757.1%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.8% · 20th

Faceoffs · 2026-2751.7% · 91/176

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/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.

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 →

Edmonton

Expected starter after their game on 23 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Minnesota

Expected starter after their game on 23 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Mar

Devon Levi.8102 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −3.6

Tristan Jarry.7391 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −4.1

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Mar

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

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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

31 Jan 202610 · MIN 7–3 EDM

20 Dec 20257 · EDM 2–5 MIN

2 Dec 20251 · MIN 1–0 EDM

15 Jan 20258 · EDM 5–3 MIN

12 Dec 20248 · EDM 7–1 MIN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Edmonton5.674.673.443.28

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 suggest6.6Goals 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

12 on the injury lists

Edmonton · injuries

Alec RegulaUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Atro LeppanenUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct

Frederik AndersenKneeIRReturn30 Dec

James StefanUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Jason DickinsonFootIRReturn7 Oct

Matt SavoieLower BodyIRReturn24 Nov

Mattias JanmarkUndisclosedIRReturn15 Oct

Ryan Nugent-HopkinsLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct

Zach HymanUndisclosedOutReturn17 Oct

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct

Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov

Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

1 Oct · EDM

Placed F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve. Placed D Alec Regula on long-term injured reserve. Recalled F Josh Samanski under emergency conditions.

27 Sep · EDM

Placed G Matt Tomkins on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield (AHL).

25 Sep · EDM

Loaned D Tomas Cibulka, Fs Connor Clattenburg, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, William Nicholl and Aku Raty and G Connor Ungar to Bakersfield (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield Ds Josh Brown and Riley Stillman and F Eduards Tralmaks.

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

Edmonton · 2026 draft

See all: Edmonton · 2026 draft →

#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC

#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW

#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD

#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC

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

Thursday 25 March · the full slate

See all: Thursday 25 March · the full slate →

MINThis game 9:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Eleven points apart last season

Meeting number 116

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Edmonton out-attempted Minnesota 228 to 166

Edmonton Oilers

Minnesota Wild

Edmonton have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Edmonton

Minnesota

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Edmonton crease

Minnesota crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

12 on the injury lists

Edmonton · injuries

Minnesota · injuries

Latest moves

Edmonton · 2026 draft

Minnesota · 2026 draft

Thursday 25 March · the full slate