AP Photo/George Walker IV
The Minnesota Wild visit the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with puck drop set for 8:00 PM EDT.
Matchup: Minnesota Wild (0-0-0, 0 points in 2026-27) at Nashville Predators (0-0-0, 0 points in 2026-27)
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Puck drop: 8:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM CDT local)
Venue: Bridgestone Arena
How to watch: NSH: SCRIPPS · MIN: MINNHL, Wild+
Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster
Minnesota Wild News & Notes
Defenseman Brock Faber suffered a skull fracture in Friday’s preseason game and underwent successful surgery on Sunday, with the club saying a timeline for his return would be provided later. Faber had missed two straight practices before the team confirmed the diagnosis, and general manager Bill Guerin addressed the situation publicly. Minnesota placed Faber on injured reserve along with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, then added defenseman David Spacek to the roster. Forward Matt Boldy has added to the early injury concerns.
The Wild unveiled their opening night roster earlier this week, with Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov heading a group that also includes goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, ahead of a season opener against Nashville. A former Michigan State standout earned a spot on the initial roster as well. Minnesota’s official team hashtag for the 2026-27 season is #MNWild, one of 32 listed across the league as the 84-game schedule begins following the close of the preseason.
Nashville Predators News & Notes
Nashville announced its 2026-27 opening night roster on Sept. 28 and begins the season at Bridgestone Arena against Minnesota on Thursday. The club pared its training camp group in stages, dropping to 54 players on Sept. 21, then to 40, 33 and 28 over the following days before settling at 26 on Sept. 26. Tyson Jost signed a one-year, two-way contract on Sept. 28 and was assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL a day later.
Goaltender Ethan Haider, a fifth-round pick in 2019, lasted deep into camp and dressed alongside Justus Annunen for the preseason game at Carolina on Sept. 24. Nashville had already sent T.J. Semptimphelter, Kalan Lind, Austin Roest and Isak Posch to Milwaukee. Semptimphelter, Lind and Roest represented the organization at September’s Prospect Showcase, where Nashville beat Carolina 4-1. Defenseman Owen Murray, the former UMass captain, attended rookie camp before signing with ECHL Atlanta.
Minnesota Wild Projected Lines
Line 1: Blake Coleman – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Line 2: Kirill Kaprizov – Danila Yurov – Maxim Shabanov
Line 3: Yakov Trenin – Ryan Hartman – Bobby Brink
Line 4: Nick Foligno – Michael McCarron – Marcus Foligno
Pair 1: Quinn Hughes – Jared Spurgeon
Pair 2: Olli Maatta – Jonas Brodin
Pair 3: Daemon Hunt – Zach Bogosian
Goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt – Calvin Pickard
Minnesota Wild Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Matt Boldy – Joel Eriksson Ek – Maxim Shabanov – Quinn Hughes – Kirill Kaprizov
Power play, Second unit: Blake Coleman – Danila Yurov – Ryan Hartman – Jared Spurgeon – Bobby Brink
Penalty kill, First unit: Michael McCarron – Blake Coleman – Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon
Penalty kill, Second unit: Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy – Olli Maatta – Zach Bogosian
Nashville Predators Projected Lines
Line 1: Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Alex Kerfoot
Line 2: Filip Forsberg – Matthew Wood – Nils Hoglander
Line 3: Ross Colton – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault
Line 4: Reid Schaefer – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom
Pair 1: Roman Josi – Ryan Ufko
Pair 2: Brady Skjei – Nick Perbix
Pair 3: Nicolas Hague – Adam Wilsby
Goaltenders: Juuse Saros – Justus Annunen
Nashville Predators Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Matthew Wood – Filip Forsberg – Roman Josi
Power play, Second unit: Ross Colton – Alex Kerfoot – Mavrik Bourque – Ryan Ufko – Jonathan Marchessault
Penalty kill, First unit: Ryan O’Reilly – Matthew Wood – Brady Skjei – Nicolas Hague
Penalty kill, Second unit: Jack Drury – Alex Kerfoot – Roman Josi – Adam Wilsby
Players To Watch
Maxim Shabanov — Minnesota Wild
Shabanov led all Wild skaters with four shots last time out while playing just 14:14, the lightest workload among Minnesota’s regulars up front. That volume on limited minutes is worth tracking, both for signs of a bigger role tonight and for anyone shopping a shots-on-goal prop at a friendly number.
Roman Josi — Nashville Predators
Josi logged 22:05 last time out, more than any Predator listed, and fired four shots without finding the scoresheet. He is the engine of Nashville’s attack from the back end, and that combination of ice time and shot volume makes him the obvious target for a point or shots prop tonight.
Injury Report
Minnesota Wild
Brock Faber (D) — Injured Reserve, Skull, expected back Thursday, October 15
Filip Gustavsson (G) — Injured Reserve, Hip, expected back Sunday, November 1
Nashville Predators: no report available.
Next Up
Minnesota Wild: host the Boston Bruins on Saturday, October 3.
Nashville Predators: host the Dallas Stars on Saturday, October 3.