Jesper Wallstedt guards the crease while Danila Yurov joins Kirill Kaprizov on the top line as Minnesota opens the season against a formidable Nashville divisional rival.
The Minnesota Wild (0-0-0) is back in action tonight for its first game of the new 2026-27 NHL season against Nashville Predators (0-0-0).
Not many updates for the Wild tonight. Danila Yurov will continue where he left off in the preseason and training camp.
Maxim Shabanov will also continue where he left off. Alongside Yurov and Kirill Kaprizov.
A couple of news worth notes. Matt Boldy (4-5—9 in 4 GP) is averaging 2.25 points per game in season-opening contests which is the best rate among active skaters (min. 2 GP).
Defenseman Jonas Brodin will be skating in 15th season for the Wild and will pass Mikko Koivu (15) for the second most with the franchise.
Jesper Wallstedt will start in goal tonight for the Wild against Juuse Saros.
Minnesota was 23-14-4 on the road last season. The Predators were 21-17-3 on home ice last season.
The Predators went 2-0-2 in four games against the Wild last season, earning six of eight points.
Nashville is 5-1-4 in its last 10 meetings with Minnesota and 3-1-1 in the last five at Bridgestone Arena.
Here are tonight's lines.
Wild Projected Lineup:
Blake Coleman - Joel Eriksson Ek - Matt Boldy
Kirill Kaprizov - Danila Yurov - Maxim Shabanov
Yakov Trenin - Ryan Hartman - Bobby Brink
Nick Foligno - Michael McCarron - Marcus Foligno
Defense:
Quinn Hughes - Jared Spurgeon
Olli Maatta - Jonas Brodin
Daemon Hunt - Zach Bogosian
Starting Goaltender: Jesper Wallstedt
Scratched: Nico Sturm, David Spacek.
Injured: Filip Gustavsson, (Hip, Month-To-Month), Brock Faber (Head, Indefinitely).
Predators Projected Lineup:
Stevan Stamkos - Ryan O'Reilly - Alexander Kerfoot
Filip Forsberg - Matthew Wood - Nils Hoglander
Ross Colton - Mavrik Bourque - Jonathan Marchessault
Reid Schaefer - Jack Drury - David Edstrom
Defense:
Roman Josi - Ryan Ufko
Brady Skjei - Nick Perbix
Nicolas Hague - Adam Wilsby
Starting Goaltender: Juuse Saros
Scratched: Ilya Lyubushkin, Jack Ahcan, William Trudeau.
Injured: None.
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