The 2026-27 Minnesota Wild schedule opens Thursday, October 1, on the road against Nashville — a start date that actually lines up with a normal NHL calendar, unlike the Sep 29/30 openers flagged on the last three schedules reviewed in this release series. That’s worth noting on its own: whatever produced those early dates elsewhere, this particular release doesn’t carry the same red flag. Minnesota gets right into it anyway, with five of its first six games on the road before the home slate really kicks in.
2026-27 Minnesota Wild Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 1 | AT Nashville | 7:00 PM | Sat, Jan 2 | St. Louis | 6:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Boston | 7:00 PM | Tue, Jan 5 | AT Anaheim | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 6 | AT Buffalo | 8:00 PM | Thu, Jan 7 | AT Vegas | 6:30 PM |
| Thu, Oct 8 | AT Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM | Sat, Jan 9 | Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 10 | AT Florida | 6:00 PM | Thu, Jan 14 | Florida | 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Oct 12 | Vegas | 7:00 PM | Sat, Jan 16 | AT St. Louis | 6:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 13 | AT Winnipeg | 7:15 PM | Sun, Jan 17 | AT Detroit | 5:00 PM |
| Thu, Oct 15 | St. Louis | 7:00 PM | Tue, Jan 19 | AT Winnipeg | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Columbus | 5:00 PM | Thu, Jan 21 | Detroit | 8:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 20 | AT Edmonton | 7:00 PM | Sat, Jan 23 | N.Y. Rangers | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Oct 22 | AT Calgary | 7:00 PM | Mon, Jan 25 | AT Utah | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct 24 | AT Seattle | 7:00 PM | Tue, Jan 26 | Vancouver | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct 25 | AT Vancouver | 7:00 PM | Thu, Jan 28 | Seattle | 8:00 PM |
| Tue, Oct 27 | AT Utah | 7:00 PM | Sat, Jan 30 | Dallas | 8:00 PM |
| Thu, Oct 29 | N.Y. Islanders | 7:00 PM | Thu, Feb 11 | AT Carolina | 7:30 PM |
| Sun, Nov 1 | AT Washington | 3:30 PM | Sat, Feb 13 | AT N.Y. Islanders | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Nov 3 | AT Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | Mon, Feb 15 | Ottawa | 6:30 PM |
| Fri, Nov 6 | San Jose | 7:00 PM | Tue, Feb 16 | AT Dallas | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Tampa Bay | 7:00 PM | Thu, Feb 18 | Los Angeles | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Nov 10 | AT Montreal | 7:00 PM | Sat, Feb 20 | AT Chicago | 2:00 PM |
| Thu, Nov 12 | AT Toronto | 7:00 PM | Tue, Feb 23 | Pittsburgh | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 14 | AT Boston | 7:00 PM | Sat, Feb 27 | AT St. Louis | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Nov 17 | Nashville | 7:00 PM | Sun, Feb 28 | New Jersey | 2:30 PM |
| Thu, Nov 19 | AT Calgary | 7:00 PM | Wed, Mar 3 | AT Dallas | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Nov 21 | AT Vancouver | 8:00 PM | Sat, Mar 6 | AT Nashville | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Nov 23 | AT San Jose | 7:00 PM | Sun, Mar 7 | Washington | 7:30 PM |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Utah | 7:00 PM | Tue, Mar 9 | Carolina | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Colorado | 3:00 PM | Thu, Mar 11 | AT Ottawa | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Nov 29 | AT Chicago | 2:00 PM | Sun, Mar 14 | Buffalo | 6:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 1 | AT Anaheim | 7:00 PM | Wed, Mar 17 | AT Colorado | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Dec 3 | AT Los Angeles | 7:00 PM | Fri, Mar 19 | Calgary | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Philadelphia | 7:00 PM | Sun, Mar 21 | Utah | 1:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 8 | Edmonton | 8:00 PM | Tue, Mar 23 | Chicago | 7:00 PM |
| Thu, Dec 10 | AT Columbus | 7:00 PM | Thu, Mar 25 | Edmonton | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Winnipeg | 2:30 PM | Sat, Mar 27 | Seattle | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Toronto | 7:00 PM | Mon, Mar 29 | AT N.Y. Rangers | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Anaheim | 7:00 PM | Wed, Mar 31 | AT New Jersey | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, Dec 19 | Montreal | 6:00 PM | Fri, Apr 2 | Dallas | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Dec 22 | Los Angeles | 7:00 PM | Sun, Apr 4 | Colorado | 1:00 PM |
| Sat, Dec 26 | Winnipeg | 6:00 PM | Tue, Apr 6 | Chicago | 7:00 PM |
| Mon, Dec 28 | Vegas | 1:00 PM | Thu, Apr 8 | AT San Jose | 6:30 PM |
| Fri, Jan 1 | AT Pittsburgh | 6:00 PM | Sat, Apr 10 | AT Colorado | 1:00 PM |
Wild vs Avalanche 2026-27 Is a Five-Game Season Series
Wild vs Avalanche 2026-27 plays out five times — the most of any opponent on Minnesota’s schedule — with the last three all crammed into the final six weeks of the season: March 17, April 4, and the regular-season finale on April 10, all with Colorado on the other bench twice on the road. If the playoff race is still tight in the Central Division come spring, this series alone could end up deciding seeding.
No Sep Mystery Opener, But a Real Road Gauntlet Early
Unlike the last three schedules in this series, Minnesota doesn’t have an odd late-September date to flag. What it does have is a brutal opening stretch — five of the first six games are on the road, through Nashville, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Florida, before the Wild play their first true home game against Boston just three days into the season. That’s an unusually road-heavy start for a team that isn’t opening with a West Coast trip.
Closing on the Road Against the Sharks and Avalanche
The final week doesn’t offer much rest. After Dallas at home April 2 and Colorado at home April 4, Minnesota closes the year with back-to-back road games — at San Jose April 8, then at Colorado again April 10. Ending the regular season with a second trip to Denver in the last week, on the second half of a back-to-back road set no less, is a tough way to wrap things up if playoff positioning is still in doubt.
The Bottom Line
Eighty-four games as released — no flag needed on the total this time, since there’s no ambiguous extra opener padding the count like on the last several teams in this series. The Minnesota Wild road trip 2026-27 to close the season, at San Jose and then Colorado in the final week, is the stretch worth circling. Five meetings with the Avalanche is a lot of hockey against one team — how Minnesota fares in that season series might end up being the whole ballgame.
FAQ
Q: When does the Minnesota Wild 2026-27 season open?
A: The release lists Thursday, October 1, on the road against Nashville as Game 1 — a normal-looking start date, unlike the questionable late-September openers flagged on other 2026-27 team schedules in this release series.
Q: How many times do the Wild play the Avalanche in 2026-27?
A: Wild vs Avalanche 2026-27 happens five times, the most of any opponent on the schedule, including three meetings inside the final six weeks of the season.
Q: What is Minnesota’s toughest stretch to close the 2026-27 season?
A: The Minnesota Wild road trip 2026-27 closes with back-to-back road games at San Jose and Colorado in the final week, including a second trip to Denver in the last six games.
Q: How many home games do the Wild play in 2026-27?
A: Based on the released schedule, Minnesota Wild home games 2026-27 total 42 dates at Grand Casino Arena against 42 road games, for 84 games total — a standard 82-game slate plus two extra listed dates that should be confirmed against an official source.