ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (9-3-2) will look to extend their winning streak to four games Thursday night when they return home to face the New York Islanders (6-4-2) at Grand Casino Arena.

Minnesota enters the matchup with a 9-3-2 record after finishing its recent road trip with three consecutive victories.

Here are tonight's goaltending matchups.

Jesper Wallstedt will get the start for Minnesota, while Ilya Sorokin will be between the pipes for New York.

Both goaltenders have been impressive through October, setting up an intriguing matchup between the 23-year-old Wallstedt and the established Islanders netminder.

Wallstedt has been one of Minnesota’s most important players through the first 14 games of the season.

The Swedish goaltender enters Thursday with an 8-2-2 record, a 1.99 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage across 12 appearances.

His emergence has been especially important with Filip Gustavsson sidelined following hip surgery.

Wallstedt has taken advantage of the opportunity, helping Minnesota establish itself as one of the NHL’s better defensive teams early in the season.

The Wild have allowed just 31 goals through 14 games, an average of 2.21 per contest.

Wallstedt is coming off another strong performance Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth, stopping 26 of 27 shots in Minnesota’s 3-1 victory.

The win extended Minnesota’s winning streak to three games and improved its record to 9-3-2.

Thursday will mark Wallstedt’s second career appearance against the Islanders.

In his previous meeting with New York, Wallstedt stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 5-2 Minnesota victory on Nov. 7, 2025.

On the other side, Sorokin has also enjoyed a strong beginning to the season.

The 31-year-old enters Thursday with a 5-3-0 record, a 2.26 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in eight appearances.

Sorokin has been one of the NHL’s more consistent goaltenders throughout his career, and his early-season numbers suggest he remains a major factor in New York’s success.

The Islanders enter Thursday with a 6-4-2 record and are coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Sorokin did not play in that contest, with Semyon Varlamov getting the start.

Thursday will be Sorokin’s eighth career appearance against Minnesota.

In seven previous meetings, he has posted a 2-4-1 record, a 2.84 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

Both teams have done a solid job limiting opposing offenses this season.

Minnesota is allowing just 25.1 shots per game while generating 31.3 of its own. New York, meanwhile, has allowed 26.3 shots per contest while averaging 26.1 offensively.

The Wild have also been particularly difficult to beat at home, entering Thursday with a perfect 4-0-0 record at Grand Casino Arena.

Minnesota has outscored opponents 44-31 this season, while New York has scored 35 goals and allowed 31.

With both starting goaltenders carrying save percentages above .918, Thursday’s contest could come down to which netminder makes the biggest saves at critical moments.

For Wallstedt, another strong performance would continue an impressive opening month and help Minnesota extend its winning streak to four games.

For Sorokin, the challenge will be slowing down a Wild offense led by Kirill Kaprizov, who has already scored 14 goals in 14 games.

Minnesota Wild — Jesper Wallstedt

● Record: 8-2-2

● Goals-against average: 1.99

● Save percentage: .922

● Games played: 12

New York Islanders — Ilya Sorokin

● Record: 5-3-0

● Goals-against average: 2.26

● Save percentage: .919

● Games played: 8

Matchup: New York Islanders (6-4-2) at Minnesota Wild (9-3-2)

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026

Time: 7 p.m. CT

Location: Grand Casino Arena — St. Paul, Minnesota

TV: Wild+, MINNHL, MSGSN

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