Wild vs. Blues: Opening Night in St. Louis Pits Kaprizov’s Wild Against Thomas-Led Blues as Tarasenko Returns

Projected Lineups and Starting Goalies for Wild vs. Blues

Minnesota Wild (0–0–0)
Kaprizov — Rossi — Boldy
Foligno — Eriksson Ek — Tarasenko
Trenin — Hartman — Johansson
Ohgren — Haight — Hinostroza
Middleton — Faber
Buium — Spurgeon
Bogosian — Jiricek
Gustavsson (starter), Wallstedt

St. Louis Blues (0–0–0)
Buchnevich — Thomas — Snuggerud
Holloway — Schenn — Kyrou
Neighbours — Suter — Joseph
Toropchenko — Bjugstad — Walker
Fowler — Parayko
Broberg — Faulk
Tucker — Mailloux
Binnington (starter), Hofer

Game Info: Enterprise Center, St. Louis — 8:00 p.m. ET. National streaming on ESPN+ with regional coverage across FanDuel Sports Network Midwest footprints.

Who’s In, Who’s Out: Early Availability Notes

Minnesota opens without two top-six fixtures: Mats Zuccarello is on injured reserve (lower body), while Jonas Brodin (upper body) skated this morning but will sit, listed day-to-day. Nico Sturm (back) is also on IR. The silver lining: 2022 second-rounder Hunter Haight gets his NHL debut, centering the fourth line next to Liam Öhgren and Vinnie Hinostroza—a sheltered but intriguing offensive trio.

For St. Louis, Oskar Sundqvist (lower body) is week-to-week and misses the opener. That nudges veteran Nick Bjugstad into the fourth-line center role and highlights the club’s summer turnover: Pius Suter slides in as a two-way driver on L3, and former first-rounder Logan Mailloux debuts on the third pair. Top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud jumps straight into first-line duty with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, a statement of intent from the Blues’ staff.

Tarasenko’s Return and the Wild’s New-Look Spine

Seeing Tarasenko in green and wheat on St. Louis ice will feel surreal. Minnesota is slotting him beside Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno—a line tailored for heavy matchups that also carries finishing punch. The top unit remains the fulcrum: Kirill Kaprizov–Marco Rossi–Matt Boldy offers elite puck control and zone time, and with Brodin out, Minnesota will lean even harder on Brock Faber’s breakout passing to feed those forwards in stride.

The blue line is where the Wild might surprise. Rookie Zeev Buium opens with Jared Spurgeon, while David Jiricek partners Zach Bogosian. That’s a lot of youth in prime spots on the road; expect Minnesota to protect those pairs with clean exits and shorter shifts against St. Louis’ top-six pressure.

Blues’ Levers: Thomas’ Line Drives Tempo, Binnington Sets the Floor

The Thomas–Buchnevich–Snuggerud trio has the tools to tilt the ice: Thomas’ distribution, Buchnevich’s retrieval and finishing, and Snuggerud’s quick release give St. Louis a three-layered threat off the rush and on broken plays. The second line with Jordan Kyrou remains the speed valve; if St. Louis wins neutral-zone races, they’ll stress Minnesota’s younger defenders.

On the back end, pairing Cam Fowler with Colton Parayko signals a puck-moving, minutes-eating top duo meant to calm exits and feed the rush. Philip Broberg–Justin Faulk can skate you out of trouble, too, which should help St. Louis attack with numbers. And when structure breaks, Jordan Binnington—still the heartbeat of Blues hockey—provides the safety net. Minnesota counters with Filip Gustavsson, whose calm edges and rebound control can freeze St. Louis’ cycle if the Wild keep slot chances to a minimum.

Special Teams and Matchup Chess

• Wild PP look: Kaprizov on the half wall, Boldy as the dual-threat shooter/passer, and Faber up top—expect a 1–3–1 with Tarasenko toggling net-front/bumper. Zone entries through Kaprizov’s side remain the tell but are hard to stop.

• Blues PP look: Thomas orchestrates; Kyrou’s one-timer threat opens seams to Buchnevich down low. If St. Louis earns early reps, watch for backdoor slides targeting weak-side coverage on Minnesota’s rookies.

Coaching chess: Minnesota will try to steer Thomas away from the Kaprizov trio on defensive-zone draws, using the Eriksson Ek line to absorb heavy minutes. St. Louis, with last change, can chase those matchups—one reason the first 10 minutes (and whistle timing) may decide the rhythm.

What Decides It Tonight

1. Neutral-zone control: The team that wins the red line dictates dump/possession choices and pace.

2. Rookie composure: Buium/Jiricek for MIN and Snuggerud/Mailloux for STL—who settles in faster?

3. Goaltending spike: One hot stint from Binnington or Gustavsson can swing an opener where special teams may still be rusty.

Opening night rarely answers everything, but it does reveal intent. With Tarasenko back in St. Louis and fresh faces up and down both rosters, expect emotion, pace, and a one-goal margin written by whichever top line finishes its looks first.