EDMONTON — Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026
The Minnesota Wild (31-14-10) close out January tonight with a 9 p.m. ET visit to Rogers Place to face the Edmonton Oilers (28-19-8) on ESPN+, in a battle of two teams chasing top-flight playoff positioning. Minnesota has won both earlier meetings this season, including a 1-0 shutout in Edmonton and a 5-2 win at home, and enters with one of the NHL’s stingiest goals-against averages.
The Wild score a respectable 3.18 goals per game while limiting opponents to 2.82 goals against, a mark that keeps them competitive night in and night out. Meanwhile, Edmonton averages 3.45 goals but has been up and down with defensive consistency, putting a premium on puck management and special teams efficiency tonight.
Offensively, the Oilers lean on a lethal top line headlined by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, whose combination of speed, vision and finishing ability sacrifices few laughs on the scoreboard. Minnesota counterbalances with balanced scoring from Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy, and goaltending that often tilts close games in their favor.
Analytically, this project as a pacey, possession-heavy game — Edmonton pushes play in transition and tries to create high-danger chances off the rush, while Minnesota prefers structured zone entries and quick defensive support. In their previous 1-0 meeting here, Wild goaltending and disciplined play were the difference.
Expect a physical, strategic clash tonight. If the Wild can keep the Oilers from fully igniting their top guns, they might just find themselves in another tight-to-the-wire winter tussle — or, as Oilers fans might humorously put it, childishly hoping the puck magically turns into maple syrup and sticks in the net.
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