Our Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The Boston Bruins (2-0-0 this season; 45-27-10 in 2025-26) visit the Minnesota Wild (1-0-0 this season; 46-24-12 in 2025-26) at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. Puck drop is 8:00 PM ET (7:00 PM CT). TV: MINNHL / Wild+ / NESN (U.S. regional).
Home-opener storyline: The Wild host their first home game of the season at Grand Casino Arena after a 3-1 win at Nashville on Oct. 1, when Kirill Kaprizov scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 19 saves. Minnesota is playing without defenseman Brock Faber, who is out indefinitely after surgery for a skull fracture sustained in a preseason game (NHL.com). Boston is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 4-3 overtime win at Winnipeg on Friday, Oct. 2. DraftKings lists Minnesota at -180 and Boston at +150 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Boston Bruins @ Minnesota Wild |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Boston Bruins 2-0-0 | Minnesota Wild 1-0-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Boston Bruins 45-27-10 | Minnesota Wild 46-24-12 |
| Head Coaches | BOS: Marco Sturm (2nd season) | MIN: John Hynes (4th season) |
| Puck Line | BOS +1.5 (-155) | MIN -1.5 (+130) |
| Moneyline | Boston Bruins: +150 | Minnesota Wild: -180 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+120 / u-142) |
| Venue | Grand Casino Arena (St. Paul, Minn.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 3, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MINNHL / Wild+ / NESN (U.S. regional) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | BOS: TBD (Jeremy Swayman / Michael DiPietro; Jeremy Swayman started Friday) | MIN: TBD (Jesper Wallstedt / Calvin Pickard) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, ~10:22 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Boston Bruins Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Boston went 45-27-10 (100 points), finished fourth in the Atlantic Division and lost to Buffalo in six games in the first round. The Bruins ranked 10th in the NHL in scoring at 3.27 goals per game (NHL.com). David Pastrnak had 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists), Morgan Geekie scored 39 goals and Pavel Zacha set a career high with 65 points.
Offseason moves: The Bruins acquired forward JJ Peterka (25 goals, 47 points) from Utah and added defensemen Will Borgen (from the Rangers) and Connor Clifton, who returned to Boston on a two-year contract. Viktor Arvidsson signed with Detroit, backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the Rangers and defenseman Andrew Peeke signed with Utah. In September, Boston signed Fraser Minten to a seven-year, $50.4 million contract that begins next season (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Pastrnak, Zacha, Geekie, Peterka, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt and Minten (17 goals as a rookie) lead the forwards, and 19-year-old James Hagens, the No. 7 selection in the 2025 draft, is on the roster. With Charlie McAvoy suspended, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Borgen, Mason Lohrei and Jonathan Aspirot carry the defense. Marco Sturm is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Jeremy Swayman was a Vezina Trophy finalist after going 31-18-4 with a 2.71 GAA, .908 save percentage and two shutouts, and he led the NHL with 38 quality starts (NHL.com). He opened this season with a 24-save shutout. Backup Michael DiPietro went 34-8-1 with a 1.91 GAA and .930 save percentage for Providence and won his second straight AHL goalie of the year award. Boston had not confirmed a starter for Saturday at research time.
Season opener recap: Boston beat the Rangers 3-0 at TD Garden on Sept. 29. Minten broke a scoreless tie at 16:14 of the third period, Peterka scored at 17:06 and Mark Kastelic added an empty-net goal at 17:29 (NHL.com).
Friday’s result: Boston beat Winnipeg 4-3 in overtime at Canada Life Centre on Friday, Oct. 2, so Saturday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back. Jeremy Swayman started in goal for Boston and made 30 saves on 33 shots. Stuart Skinner started for Winnipeg and made 26 saves on 30 shots. (NHL.com)
Suspension and injuries: McAvoy (61 points last season) is serving a six-game suspension for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson in Game 6 of last spring’s first-round series and is eligible to return Oct. 13 at San Jose (NHL.com, Boston Globe). Forward Matthew Poitras (lower body) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Minnesota Wild Preview: Home Opener Without Faber
2025-26 recap: Minnesota went 46-24-12 (104 points) and finished third in the Central Division. The Wild beat Dallas in six games in the first round before Colorado eliminated them in five in the second round. Kaprizov led the team with 45 goals and 89 points, Matt Boldy had 42 goals and 85 points, and Quinn Hughes had 53 points (five goals, 48 assists) in 48 games after joining Minnesota.
Offseason moves: Minnesota acquired forward Blake Coleman (20 goals) and defenseman Olli Maatta from Calgary for defenseman Jake Middleton, signed forward Maxim Shabanov and goalie Calvin Pickard, and let Mats Zuccarello (54 points) go to Los Angeles (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kaprizov, Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman and Coleman lead the forwards. Hughes, who is in the final season of his contract, leads the defense with Jared Spurgeon (TSN, NHL.com). John Hynes is in his fourth season as coach.
Goalies: Wallstedt went 18-9-6 with a 2.61 GAA, .916 save percentage and four shutouts in 35 games last season and made 19 saves on 20 shots in the opener. Pickard is the backup while Filip Gustavsson (hip surgery) is on injured reserve (NHL.com, ESPN). Minnesota had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Minnesota won 3-1 at Nashville on Oct. 1. Nick Foligno and Coleman (power play) scored in the first period, Kaprizov added a goal from Hughes and Spurgeon in the third, and the Wild outshot the Predators 30-20 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Faber (skull fracture) is out indefinitely after surgery on Sept. 27; GM Bill Guerin said there is no timetable (NHL.com, AP). Gustavsson (hip) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Bruins vs Wild
- Schedule spot: Boston is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 4-3 overtime win at Winnipeg on Friday. Minnesota played Thursday and had Friday off before its home opener.
- Last season: The teams split two meetings. Minnesota won 6-2 at home on Dec. 14, 2025, and Boston won 6-3 at home on March 28 (NHL.com).
- Blue lines: Boston is without McAvoy until Oct. 13, and Minnesota is without Faber indefinitely.
- In goal: Swayman led the NHL in quality starts last season and opened with a shutout. Wallstedt posted a .916 save percentage last season and allowed one goal in the opener.
- Goal scorers: Pastrnak had 100 points last season. Kaprizov (45) and Boldy (42) combined for 87 goals.
- Odds snapshot: Minnesota -180 / Boston +150 on the moneyline, Wild -1.5 (+130) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Puck drop: 8:00 PM ET (7:00 PM CT)
Venue: Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
TV: In the U.S., MINNHL and Wild+ carry the game in the Wild’s market and NESN in the Bruins’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No national TV broadcast is listed in the U.S. or Canada at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 3, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.