Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers: game preview
MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7that
FloridaPanthers2026-27: 2-0-2 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 40-38-4 · 84 pts · 25thTwenty points apart last season
Minnesota finished last season 7th in the league on 104 points. Florida finished 25th on 84, and the 2025-26 season series went MIN 1-0-1.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 39
Across 38 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 22-11-5.
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 24 Jan 2026, Minnesota were 5th in the league and Florida 15th. By 26 Mar 2026 it was 6th and 25th.
Florida out-attempted Minnesota 320 to 266
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Minnesota Wild
Florida Panthers
Minnesota and Florida 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.
This season: 3 games for Minnesota, 4 for Florida. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Minnesota, 10 for Florida.
2025-26: 82 games for Minnesota, 82 for Florida.
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
Minnesota
Small sampleFlorida
Small sampleAaron Ekblad has 9 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.
Aaron Ekblad vs Minnesota · game by game
See all: Aaron Ekblad vs Minnesota · game by game →Filip Gustavsson has started most of these meetings
Filip Gustavsson played 3 of the last 5 meetings with Florida, with a .904 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 8 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
- Started 3 of 4 this season
- .927 save percentage over his last three starts
2026-27: 3 GP · .927 SV% · GSAx +3
Also possible: Schmid 31%
Filip Gustavsson
See all: Filip Gustavsson →MIN · 28-15-6 in 2025-26 IRReturn 1 Nov
Also on the roster, 2026-27: Jesper Wallstedt .933 (3 GP)
Full game logFlorida crease
FLA · 2026-27 Expected: Markstrom · 69%
No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.
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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93
Florida2.002.003.063.37Goals 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.
8 on the injury lists
Minnesota · injuries
Florida · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →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.
Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).
Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.
Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.
Minnesota · 2026 draft
See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →Florida · 2026 draft
See all: Florida · 2026 draft →Saturday 10 October · the full slate
See all: Saturday 10 October · the full slate →
PHIat
BOS3:30 PM ET
VANat
NJD4:00 PM ET
EDMat
SJS6:00 PM ETMINatFLAThis game7:00 PM ET
UTAat
BUF7:00 PM ET
DETat
MTL7:00 PM ET
NSHat
OTT7:00 PM ET
DALat
PIT7:00 PM ET
CARat
CHI7:00 PM ET
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STL7:00 PM ET
TORat
COL7:30 PM ET
TBLat
NYI10:00 PM ET
ANAat
CGY10:00 PM ET
LAKat
VGKUpdated after every final