The Blues vs Wild preview for Thursday night centers on two Central Division clubs trying to shake off recent stumbles. The St. Louis Blues visit the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, with puck drop set for 8 p.m.
ET. Minnesota enters at 4-2-1 while St. Louis sits at 3-2-1, and both teams are dealing with significant injury lists heading into the matchup.
St. Louis Blues At Minnesota Wild Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul, Minnesota
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Blues App, BN+, MINNHL
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season between the two clubs
By The Numbers
- Goals scored: Minnesota 21, St. Louis 21
- Goals against: Minnesota 16, St. Louis 18
- Goals-against average: Minnesota 2.29, St. Louis 3.00
- Save percentage: Minnesota .915, St. Louis .891
- Shooting percentage: Minnesota 10.8%, St. Louis 13.5%
- Power-play goals: Minnesota 7, St. Louis 2
- Faceoff percentage: Minnesota 53.0%, St. Louis 47.1%
- Penalty minutes: Minnesota 68, St. Louis 68
Wild Outlook: Kaprizov Leads A Banged-Up Lineup
Minnesota carries a plus-5 scoring differential into the game, built on 21 goals for against 16 allowed. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with eight goals and 11 points, and he scored twice in Minnesota’s most recent outing, a 5-2 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Quinn Hughes paces the team with eight assists.
The Wild’s power play has produced seven goals already, a number that stands out against the Blues’ two. Minnesota’s .915 team save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average reflect a defense that has mostly held up despite a thin blue line.
Injuries have piled up for Minnesota. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson remains out following hip surgery, with Jesper Wallstedt listed as the probable starter. Forwards Nico Sturm and Marcus Foligno are both on injured reserve with upper and lower body injuries respectively, and Nick Foligno is also out with an upper body issue. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with an upper body injury, and Brock Faber is out with a skull injury, according to FOX Sports.
Blues Outlook: Momentum After Route Of Senators
St. Louis arrives with a plus-3 scoring differential, matching Minnesota’s 21 goals scored but allowing two more. Mason McTavish tops the Blues in goals with four and points with seven, while Connor McMichael leads the team with four assists. The Blues shoot at a 13.5% clip, the better mark between the two clubs, though their .891 team save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average trail Minnesota’s numbers.
St. Louis won its last outing 7-2 over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 13, a result detailed in Total Apex Sports’ recap of that game. Joel Hofer is the probable starting goaltender for the Blues.
The injury list remains long for St. Louis. Torey Krug is out with a left ankle injury, Dillon Dube is sidelined with a neck injury, and Alexey Toropchenko is out with an upper body issue, a situation Total Apex Sports covered when it first happened.
Tyler Tucker is recovering from left knee surgery, and Felix Trudeau is out with an undisclosed injury. FOX Sports also reported forward Adam Jecho is out for personal reasons and defenseman Logan Mailloux is sidelined with a hand injury.
Key Matchup: Blues Power Play Against A Shorthanded Wild Defense
St. Louis has managed just two power-play goals this season, a number that will need to climb against a Minnesota penalty kill operating without several regular defensive pieces. With Spurgeon day-to-day and Faber out, the Wild’s back end is stretched thin, and the Blues’ special teams unit gets a chance to test that depth.
On the other side, Minnesota’s 7-for power play, built around Kaprizov’s scoring touch, faces a St. Louis penalty minutes total that matches the Wild’s 68, meaning neither side has avoided the box so far this season.
What To Watch
Both teams sit in the middle of the Central Division race, with Minnesota at nine points and St. Louis at seven through the early weeks of the 2026-27 season. A win Thursday would help either club close ground on Utah and Winnipeg, who occupy the top two spots in the division standings. With both rosters missing multiple regulars, how each team’s replacement players perform could shape the outcome as much as the stars in the lineup.
St. Louis and Minnesota open their season series Thursday, with no prior meetings this year. The next scheduled test for either team will follow this matchup, based on each club’s regular-season slate.
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