The Minnesota Wild (2-0-1) will look to continue their strong start to the 2026-27 season when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0) Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena.

Minnesota enters the matchup having earned five of a possible six points through its first three games. The Wild opened the season with victories over Nashville and Boston before suffering their first loss in Buffalo on Tuesday.

Thursday’s matchup marks the second game of Minnesota’s current road trip and presents another opportunity for the Wild to build momentum early in the season.

Minnesota will keep its top two forward lines intact for the fourth consecutive game, but head coach John Hynes has made adjustments to the bottom six.

Ryan Hartman will move down to center the third line between Marcus Foligno and Bobby Brink, while Michael McCarron will center the fourth line alongside Yakov Trenin and Nico Sturm.

The adjustments come as Minnesota looks to generate more consistency throughout its lineup.

With Kirill Kaprizov, Alexander Shabanov and Danila Yurov providing offensive options in the top six, the Wild will look for their bottom two lines to contribute at both ends of the ice.

Minnesota’s defensive pairings remain unchanged as the team continues to play without Brock Faber, who remains sidelined following surgery to repair a skull fracture.

Jesper Wallstedt will once again get the start in goal for Minnesota.

The 23-year-old has started all three games this season, posting a 2-0-1 record with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

Wallstedt has allowed just five goals through three starts and has allowed two regulation goals or fewer in nine consecutive regular-season appearances dating back to last season.

With Filip Gustavsson still sidelined, Wallstedt has provided Minnesota with reliable goaltending to begin the season.

Tampa Bay will counter with Dennis Hildeby, who is expected to make his first start in a Lightning uniform.

Hildeby has appeared in 26 career NHL games, previously playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 25-year-old has posted an 8-10-4 career record with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

Minnesota enters Thursday’s matchup with a 23-11-4 all-time record against Tampa Bay.

However, the Wild have experienced less success on the road against the Lightning, posting a 7-8-4 record in Tampa Bay.

The two teams split their season series last year.

Kirill Kaprizov has been particularly productive against the Lightning throughout his career, recording eight goals and five assists for 13 points in nine games.

Quinn Hughes has also enjoyed success against Tampa Bay, recording four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 12 career meetings.

Meanwhile, Joel Eriksson Ek has scored eight goals in 15 career games against the Lightning and will look to score his first goal of the season Thursday.

Minnesota: Joel Eriksson Ek

Eriksson Ek has recorded one assist through Minnesota’s first three games but has historically been productive against Tampa Bay.

The 29-year-old center has eight goals and 10 points in 15 career games against the Lightning.

Playing alongside Matt Boldy and Blake Coleman, Eriksson Ek will look to provide secondary scoring while continuing to handle difficult defensive assignments.

Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov

Kucherov remains one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive players and enters Thursday’s matchup with four points through three games.

The Lightning winger has recorded one goal and three assists to begin the season and will be a major focus for Minnesota’s defensive group.

Containing Kucherov and Brayden Point will be particularly important for a Wild team still adjusting to life without Faber.

Minnesota Wild (2-0-1)

Blake Coleman - Joel Eriksson Ek - Matt Boldy

Kirill Kaprizov - Danila Yurov - Maxim Shabanov

Marcus Foligno - Ryan Hartman - Bobby Brink

Yakov Trenin - Michael McCarron - Nico Sturm

Defense:

Quinn Hughes - Jared Spurgeon

Olli Maatta - Jonas Brodin

Daemon Hunt - Zach Bogosian

Starting Goaltender: Jesper Wallstedt

Scratched: Tyler Pitlick, David Spacek.

Injured: Filip Gustavsson, (Hip, Month-To-Month), Brock Faber (Head, Indefinitely), Nick Foligno (Upper, Day-to-Day).

Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0)

Gage Goncalves - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov

Jake Guentzel - Anthony Cirelli - Brandon Hagel

Ilya Mikheyev - Zemgus Girgensons - Pontus Holmberg

Jeffrey Viel - Conor Geekie

Defense:

J.J. Moser - John Carlson

Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak

Victor Hedman - Charle-Edouard D'Astous

Max Crozier

Starting Goaltender: Dennis Hildeby

Injured: Emil Lilleberg (Undisclosed), Dominic James (Upper-Body), Yanni Gourde (Hip).

Scratched: Scott Sabourin

Note: Tampa Bay’s projected lineup includes 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Matchup:

Minnesota Wild (2-0-1) at Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0)


Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026


Time: 6 p.m. CT


Location: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Florida

Minnesota will look to extend its season-opening point streak to four games while Tampa Bay attempts to protect home ice.

With both teams entering the matchup having won two of their first three games, Thursday presents an early-season test for a Wild team looking to establish consistency on the road.

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