Minnesota’s power play ranks 2nd in the NHL at 33.3 percent, while Columbus’ penalty kill ranks 30th at 61.1 percent. That is one number to know before checking the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds for Sunday, October 18, 2026, when the Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0 this season) visit the Minnesota Wild (5-2-1 this season) at Grand Casino Arena. Puck drop is 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM local) in St. Paul, Minn.; TV: CBJNHL / MINNHL / CBJHN / Wild+ / Sportsnet+ / TVA Sports / ESPN+.
Storyline: Columbus is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 1-0 overtime win over the Rangers on Saturday, Oct. 17. Minnesota enters Sunday at 5-2-1 after a 5-4 win over St. Louis (Oct. 15). Minnesota has had two days off since its Oct. 15 game. Columbus leads the NHL in faceoff percentage at 57.7 percent (NHL.com). The teams split two meetings last season (NHL.com).
Blue Jackets vs Wild Odds & Line Movement: Moneyline, Puck Line, Total
| Matchup | Columbus Blue Jackets @ Minnesota Wild |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Columbus Blue Jackets 3-3-0 | Minnesota Wild 5-2-1 |
| 2025-26 Records | Columbus Blue Jackets 40-30-12 | Minnesota Wild 46-24-12 |
| Head Coaches | CBJ: Rick Bowness (took over Jan. 12, 2026) | MIN: John Hynes (4th season) |
| Puck Line | CBJ +1.5 (-162) | MIN -1.5 (+136) |
| Moneyline | Columbus Blue Jackets: +160 | Minnesota Wild: -192 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+102 / u-122) |
| Opening Line (DraftKings) | CBJ +145 / MIN -175 | total 6.5 |
| Venue | Grand Casino Arena (St. Paul, Minn.) |
| Date / Time | Sunday, October 18, 2026 — 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM local) |
| TV / How to Watch | CBJNHL / MINNHL / CBJHN / Wild+ / Sportsnet+ / TVA Sports / ESPN+ |
| Probable Starting Goalies | CBJ: Cam Talbot (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed); Jet Greaves started Saturday | MIN: Jesper Wallstedt (confirmed, per ESPN) |
Blue Jackets vs Wild odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, ~10:18 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) as the confirmed starter; Cam Talbot (Columbus) as the probable starter, not yet confirmed at research time.
In the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds market, Minnesota opened at -175 on the moneyline and Columbus at +145 at DraftKings; Minnesota has moved from -175 to -192 and Columbus has moved from +145 to +160 as of Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, ~10:18 PM ET. The total opened at 6.5 (over +105, under -125) and is 6.5 (over +102, under -122) now. On the puck line, Minnesota -1.5 is at +136, the same price it opened at. Opening prices are the first numbers DraftKings posted, per ESPN.
Goalie Matchup: Talbot vs Wallstedt
The goalie matchup is one of the biggest inputs in the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds. ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) as the confirmed starter; Cam Talbot (Columbus) as the probable starter, not yet confirmed at research time. Here is how each team’s goalies have performed so far in 2026-27 (NHL.com).
Minnesota Wild Goalies
Jesper Wallstedt has started seven games and is 5-1-1 with a .921 save percentage (174 saves on 189 shots). Most recently, he made 22 saves on 26 shots in a 5-4 win over St. Louis (Oct. 15). Calvin Pickard has started one game and is 0-1-0 with an .800 save percentage (20 saves on 25 shots). That start was a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt as the confirmed starter for Sunday.
Columbus Blue Jackets Goalies
Entering Saturday’s game, Jet Greaves had started three games and was 1-2-0 with an .874 save percentage (76 saves on 87 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 22 saves on 26 shots in a 5-3 loss at St. Louis (Oct. 10). Cam Talbot had started two games and was 1-1-0 with an .822 save percentage (37 saves on 45 shots). Most recently, he made 17 saves on 23 shots in a 7-3 loss to Florida (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Cam Talbot as the probable starter for Sunday (not confirmed at research time). On Saturday, Jet Greaves started and made 29 saves on 29 shots in a 1-0 overtime win over the Rangers.
Minnesota Wild Preview: Kaprizov Leads a 5-2-1 Start
2025-26 recap: Minnesota went 46-24-12 (104 points), finished third in the Central Division, beat Dallas in six games in the first round and lost to Colorado in five games in the second round. Kirill Kaprizov led the team with 89 points (45 goals, 44 assists, 19 power-play goals), Matt Boldy had 42 goals and 85 points, and Quinn Hughes had 53 points in 48 games after Minnesota acquired him from Vancouver (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Minnesota added forward Blake Coleman (20 goals for Calgary last season), forward Maxim Shabanov from the Islanders, defenseman Olli Maatta and goalie Calvin Pickard from Edmonton. Mats Zuccarello, who had 54 points, now plays for Los Angeles, and defenseman Jake Middleton for Calgary (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kaprizov, Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, Coleman, Bobby Brink, Shabanov and Danila Yurov lead the forwards. Hughes, Jonas Brodin and Zach Bogosian are on defense. John Hynes is in his fourth season as coach.
Season so far: Minnesota is 5-2-1 through eight games, with 26 goals scored and 20 allowed. Results: a 3-1 win at Nashville (Oct. 1), a 4-1 win over Boston (Oct. 3), a 3-2 overtime loss at Buffalo (Oct. 6), a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay (Oct. 8), a 4-1 win at Florida (Oct. 10), a 4-2 win over Vegas (Oct. 12), a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg (Oct. 13) and a 5-4 win over St. Louis (Oct. 15). Kirill Kaprizov has 14 points (nine goals, five assists), and Quinn Hughes has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) (NHL.com).
Our Blue Jackets vs Wild preview from Oct. 18 has more on how the Wild came into their last game.
Minnesota Wild Injury Report
Injury news can move the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds before puck drop. Olli Maatta (upper body) and Jared Spurgeon (upper body) are listed as out; Nico Sturm (concussion), Marcus Foligno (lower body), Filip Gustavsson (hip surgery), Nick Foligno (upper body) and Brock Faber (skull surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN). Kirill Kaprizov is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, so check his status closer to puck drop (ESPN).
Columbus Blue Jackets Preview: Second Night of a Back-to-Back
2025-26 recap: Columbus went 40-30-12 (92 points), finished fifth in the Metropolitan and missed the playoffs after losing nine of its last 11 games. The Blue Jackets went 19-4-4 in their first 27 games after Rick Bowness took over on Jan. 12 (NHL.com). Zach Werenski led the team with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists).
Offseason moves: Former captain Boone Jenner signed with Washington. Columbus acquired forward Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado, signed Ryan Lomberg, and signed Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million contract on Sept. 24. On Sept. 28, the Blue Jackets traded Kirill Marchenko (team-high 27 goals) and others to Toronto for Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae and more. Goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Carson Soucy signed one-year deals (NHL.com, BlueJackets.com).
Key players & coach: Werenski, Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, Knies, Nichushkin, Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson and Denton Mateychuk are central to the lineup, with Ivan Provorov and Soucy also on defense. Rick Bowness has coached the team since Jan. 12, 2026.
Season so far: Before Saturday’s game, Columbus was 2-3-0 through five games, with 16 goals scored and 21 allowed. Results: a 6-3 win over Buffalo (Oct. 1), a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 3), a 3-2 shootout win over Pittsburgh (Oct. 9), a 5-3 loss at St. Louis (Oct. 10) and a 7-3 loss to Florida (Oct. 13). Cole Sillinger has five points (three goals, two assists), and Charlie Coyle has five assists (NHL.com).
Saturday’s result: Columbus beat the Rangers 1-0 in overtime at Nationwide Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, so Sunday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back. Columbus goal: Kent Johnson. Jet Greaves started in goal for Columbus and made 29 saves on 29 shots. Dylan Garand started for the Rangers and made 28 saves on 29 shots. (NHL.com)
For more background on Columbus, our Blue Jackets vs Wild preview from Oct. 18 breaks down the Blue Jackets’ previous matchup.
Columbus Blue Jackets Injury Report
ESPN’s injury report listed no players for this team at research time.
Blue Jackets vs Wild Head-to-Head
2025-26 series: The teams split two meetings last season. Columbus won 7-4 in Minnesota on Oct. 11, 2025. Minnesota won 5-2 in Columbus on Dec. 18, 2025 (NHL.com). The two games produced 18 total goals, an average of 9.0 per game.
2026-27 schedule: Sunday’s game is meeting one of two between the teams this season (NHL.com). Past meetings are history only; the current Blue Jackets vs Wild odds are in the table above.
Blue Jackets vs Wild Odds: Key Betting Trends
Here is the season data behind the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds. The figures below are straight season data through games before Sunday, from NHL.com, with over/under counts measured against DraftKings closing totals via ESPN.
- Blue Jackets home/road: Including Saturday’s game, Columbus is 3-2-0 at home and 0-1-0 on the road (NHL.com).
- Blue Jackets recent form: Columbus is 2-3-0 in its last five games, with 11 goals scored and 18 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Blue Jackets totals: Columbus’ games have gone over the DraftKings closing total three times and under three times in six games with a posted total, averaging 6.3 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Blue Jackets special teams: Columbus’ power play is converting 16.7 percent (21st in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 61.1 percent (30th) (NHL.com).
- Blue Jackets scoring: Columbus has scored 17 goals and allowed 21 in 6 games (2.83 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Wild home/road: Minnesota is 3-0-0 at home and 2-2-1 on the road (NHL.com).
- Wild recent form: Minnesota is 3-2-0 in its last five games, with 17 goals scored and 15 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Wild totals: Minnesota’s games have gone over the DraftKings closing total three times and under five times in eight games with a posted total, averaging 5.8 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Wild special teams: Minnesota’s power play is converting 33.3 percent (2nd in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 88.5 percent (5th) (NHL.com).
- Wild scoring: Minnesota has scored 26 goals and allowed 20 in 8 games (3.25 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Combined totals: Across both teams, games have gone over the DraftKings closing total six times and under eight times in 14 games with a posted total, against a 6.5 total for this game (DraftKings via ESPN).
TV Channel and How to Watch Blue Jackets vs Wild
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
Puck drop: 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM local)
Venue: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
TV: In the U.S., MINNHL and Wild+ carry it in the Wild’s market and CBJNHL and CBJHN carry it in the Blue Jackets’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet+ and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Schedule spot: Columbus is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 1-0 overtime win over the Rangers on Saturday. Minnesota last played on Oct. 15 (2 days off before Sunday) and visits Edmonton on Oct. 20.
Live stats, lineups and the box score will be on the Blue Jackets vs Wild gamecenter on NHL.com, and the official Minnesota Wild site posts team news and lineup notes.
Find the rest of Sunday’s slate on our NHL previews and odds page, and see Cappers Direct Premium subscriptions with NHL packages for full handicapper analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions: Blue Jackets vs Wild
What time is Blue Jackets vs Wild on October 18, 2026?
Puck drop is 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM local) on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. The Blue Jackets vs Wild odds in this preview were last updated on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
What channel is Blue Jackets vs Wild on?
In the U.S., MINNHL and Wild+ carry it in the Wild’s market and CBJNHL and CBJHN carry it in the Blue Jackets’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet+ and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Who is starting in goal for Blue Jackets vs Wild?
ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) as the confirmed starter; Cam Talbot (Columbus) as the probable starter, not yet confirmed at research time.
What are the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds and puck line?
For the Blue Jackets vs Wild odds, DraftKings lists Columbus +1.5 (-162) and Minnesota -1.5 (+136) on the puck line as of Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, ~10:18 PM ET. The moneyline is Columbus Blue Jackets +160 and Minnesota Wild -192, and the total is 6.5.