Minnesota Wild right wing Ryan Hartman (38) dives for the puck while St. Louis Blues center Jack Finley (37) and defenseman Cam Fowler (17) work against him during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
The St. Louis Blues head to St. Paul tonight looking for their third straight win when they face the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m. CT at Grand Casino Arena. Entering October 15, St. Louis sits at 3–2–1 with seven points, while Minnesota is 4–2–1 with nine points. The Blues have found their scoring touch, following a 5–3 win over Columbus with Tuesday’s 7–2 rout of Ottawa. Mason McTavish, Pius Suter and Jake Neighbours each scored twice against the Senators, while Pavel Buchnevich collected three assists and rookie defenseman Adam Jiricek scored his first NHL goal. That balanced production gives St. Louis something to build on against a Minnesota lineup dealing with several absences.
The Wild are coming off a 5–2 loss in Winnipeg, but slowing their biggest weapons will be a serious test. Kirill Kaprizov enters tonight with an NHL-leading eight goals, including five in his last three games. Quinn Hughes has recorded a point in all seven Minnesota games, totaling two goals and eight assists. For the Blues, the assignment is straightforward: pressure Hughes before he can organize the attack and keep track of Kaprizov when he slips into scoring areas. St. Louis limited Ottawa to just 18 shots Tuesday; carrying that defensive discipline into tonight would help keep Minnesota’s stars from taking over.
Joel Hofer is the projected Blues starter, although his assignment remained unconfirmed late Thursday morning. He stopped 16 of 18 shots in Ottawa, and another start would make sense following that performance, though Jordan Binnington remains an option. Minnesota has confirmed Jesper Wallstedt, who owns a 4–1–1 record, a 1.82 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. With Filip Gustavsson sidelined by a hip injury, Wallstedt has handled most of the workload. He returns after Calvin Pickard started Tuesday’s loss, giving the Wild their strongest-performing available goaltender following a night off.
Both teams have injury concerns. St. Louis remains without Dillon Dube (neck), Alexey Toropchenko (upper body), Logan Mailloux (hand), Tyler Tucker (knee). Dube is expected to miss at least eight weeks following the team’s October 10 announcement. Minnesota is missing Brock Faber (skull fracture), Gustavsson (hip), Nico Sturm (upper body after being struck in the head by a puck), Marcus Foligno (lower body) and Nick Foligno (upper body). Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after missing Tuesday’s game, making his availability another important detail before puck drop.
The Blues’ best opportunity is to make Minnesota’s depleted lineup defend through sustained pressure while putting traffic in front of Wallstedt. Their recent scoring surge is encouraging, but beating a goalie in this form will likely require rebounds and second chances. Minnesota gets a slight edge on home ice, but if St. Louis keeps its offense balanced, stays disciplined and protects the middle of the ice, a third consecutive victory is well within reach.
