Our Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The Minnesota Wild (2-1-1 this season; 46-24-12 in 2025-26) visit the Florida Panthers (2-0-2 this season; 40-38-4 in 2025-26) at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Puck drop is 6:00 PM ET (6:00 PM local). TV: MINNHL / Wild+ / SCRIPPS.
Storyline: Florida plays its home opener after a four-game road trip that produced a 2-0-2 record, but the Panthers have one power-play goal and are without Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, per ESPN. Minnesota is 2-1-1 after a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday and has allowed eight goals in four games. The teams split two meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Florida at -135 and Minnesota at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Minnesota Wild @ Florida Panthers |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Minnesota Wild 2-1-1 | Florida Panthers 2-0-2 |
| 2025-26 Records | Minnesota Wild 46-24-12 | Florida Panthers 40-38-4 |
| Head Coaches | MIN: John Hynes (4th season) | FLA: Paul Maurice (5th season) |
| Puck Line | MIN +1.5 (-218) | FLA -1.5 (+180) |
| Moneyline | Minnesota Wild: +114 | Florida Panthers: -135 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+110 / u-130) |
| Venue | Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise, Fla.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 10, 2026 — 6:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MINNHL / Wild+ / SCRIPPS |
| Probable Starting Goalies | MIN: Jesper Wallstedt (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | FLA: Jacob Markstrom (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, ~1:51 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) and Jacob Markstrom (Florida) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Minnesota Wild Preview: Trying to Bounce Back in Florida
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, Marcus Foligno, Nick Foligno, Bobby Brink, Shabanov and Danila Yurov lead the forwards. Hughes, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Zach Bogosian and Maatta are on defense. John Hynes is in his fourth season as coach.
Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt has started four games and is 2-1-1 with a .927 save percentage (102 saves on 110 shots). Most recently, he made 32 saves on 35 shots in a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay (Oct. 8). Calvin Pickard has not played yet. ESPN lists Jesper Wallstedt as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Minnesota is 2-1-1 through four games before Friday, with 11 goals scored and 8 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) and a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay (Oct. 8). Quinn Hughes has six points (two goals, four assists), and Kirill Kaprizov has four points (three goals, one assist) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Olli Maatta (lower body) is day to day; Nick Foligno (upper body), Brock Faber (skull surgery) and Filip Gustavsson (hip surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Florida Panthers Preview: Home Opener After a Four-Game Trip
2025-26 recap: Florida went 40-38-4 (84 points), finished seventh in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs one year after winning a second straight Stanley Cup. Barkov missed the entire season. Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games, Sam Bennett had 58 points, Carter Verhaeghe had 55 and Brad Marchand scored 27 goals in 52 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Florida acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa on June 21 to join his brother Matthew. He had 59 points in 60 games last season. The Panthers also added goalies Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey) and Akira Schmid (Vegas), forwards Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Radko Gudas. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky now plays for Toronto, Daniil Tarasov for Detroit and Mackie Samoskevich for Seattle (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Reinhart, Bennett, Verhaeghe, the Tkachuk brothers, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Eller lead the forwards. Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Gudas and Dmitry Kulikov are on defense. Paul Maurice is in his fifth season as coach.
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom has started three games and is 2-0-1 with a .927 save percentage (51 saves on 55 shots). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 20 shots in a 2-1 win at Los Angeles (Oct. 6). Akira Schmid has started one game and is 0-0-1 with an .875 save percentage (28 saves on 32 shots). That start was a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1). ESPN lists Jacob Markstrom as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Florida is 2-0-2 through four games before Friday, with 8 goals scored and 8 allowed. Results: a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina (Sept. 29), a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1), a 3-2 overtime loss at Anaheim (Oct. 4) and a 2-1 win at Los Angeles (Oct. 6). Matthew Tkachuk has three points (two goals, one assist), and Lars Eller has three assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Brad Marchand (leg) is listed as out; Aaron Ekblad (personal) is day to day; Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Wild vs Panthers
- Schedule spot: Minnesota played Thursday at Tampa Bay. Florida last played Tuesday at Los Angeles. Minnesota hosts Vegas on Monday, and Florida visits Buffalo on Monday.
- Last season: The teams split two meetings last season. Minnesota won 3-2 in Florida on March 26, 2026. Florida won 4-3 in overtime in Minnesota on Jan. 24 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Minnesota is converting 38.5 percent of its power plays and has killed 91.7 percent of penalties. Florida is converting 4.3 percent of its power plays and has killed 78.9 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Minnesota has scored 11 goals and allowed 8 in 4 games. Florida has scored 8 goals and allowed 8 in 4 games.
- Odds snapshot: Florida -135 / Minnesota +114 on the moneyline, Panthers -1.5 (+180) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Puck drop: 6:00 PM ET (6:00 PM local)
Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Fla.
TV: In the U.S., Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries it in the Panthers’ market and MINNHL and Wild+ carry it in the Wild’s market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 10, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.