Kaprizov’s charge: Wild face early gauntlet and March push

Rodney Knuppel

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Kaprizov’s charge: Wild face early gauntlet and March push image

The Minnesota Wild 2025-26 slate drops the puck on the road and doesn’t let up for months. It starts Oct 9 at St. Louis, then swings into the home opener Oct 11 against Columbus at Grand Casino Arena, followed by the Kings on Oct 13 and a quick jump to Dallas on Oct 14.

Early road miles

A six-game stretch from Oct 14–22 sends the Wild through Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, the Rangers, and Devils. It is a fast check on special teams and defensive structure away from home before the schedule eases.

First big home cluster

From Oct 25–Nov 19, Minnesota gets ten of thirteen at Grand Casino Arena, including:

  • Oct 28 vs Winnipeg and Oct 30 vs Pittsburgh

  • Nov 1 vs Vancouver and Nov 4 vs Nashville

  • Nov 15 vs Anaheim and Nov 16 vs Vegas

  • Nov 19 vs Carolina on TNT

Banking points here sets the runway for winter.

Holiday spotlight and Central heat

  • Nov 28 vs Colorado on Black Friday afternoon

  • Nov 29 vs Buffalo the very next night

  • Dec 11 vs Dallas and Dec 23 vs Nashville
    Those Central nights usually decide seeding. Handle them and the race looks different by New Year’s.

Monster Pacific swing

Late December into early January is the toughest run on the board:

  • Dec 29 at Vegas

  • Dec 31 at San Jose afternoon game

  • Jan 2 at Anaheim, Jan 3 and Jan 5 at Los Angeles

  • Jan 8 at Seattle
    Six games, 11 days, plenty of miles. Survive it, then hit the reset with two at home: Jan 10 vs Islanders and Jan 12 vs Devils.

Star-power showdowns

  • Dec 20 vs Oilers and Dec 21 vs Avalanche, a two-day skill test in St. Paul

  • Jan 24 vs two-time defending champs Florida

  • Mar 3 vs Tampa Bay on TNT

  • Mar 14 vs Rangers and Mar 15 vs Maple Leafs on TNT

MORE: Connor McDavid’s revenge tour: Edmonton Oilers’ 2025-26 gauntlet and key dates

Post-break restart and March leverage

The league pauses in February, then Minnesota restarts with altitude:

  • Feb 26 at Colorado, Feb 27 at Utah on a quick back-to-back
    March brings a blend of national windows and measuring sticks:

  • Mar 6 at Vegas and Mar 8 at Colorado on TNT

  • Mar 21 vs Dallas in a Central swing game
    There’s also a helpful run of home dates from Mar 10–21 with Utah, Philadelphia, Rangers, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, and Stars all visiting.

Final push

April tilts to the road: four away in six nights at Ottawa, Detroit (TNT), Dallas, and Nashville, then St. Louis before the regular-season finale Apr 14 vs Anaheim. Health, goaltending rotation, and second-unit scoring will decide whether home ice is in play.

What success looks like for Minnesota

Win two of the first three, harvest points in the late-October home block, and split the Pacific grind around New Year’s. If Kirill Kaprizov drives five-on-five chances and the Wild control Central matchups against Colorado, Dallas, and Winnipeg, this schedule sets up a clean runway for April.

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Rodney Knuppel

Rodney Knuppel is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. When not watching, listening or writing about sports, Rodney enjoys following the travels of his three kids, who are all active in their own sports and activities. A huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, Rodney also enjoys St. Louis Blues hockey and is a big Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan.