Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Predictions for Sunday, October 18th 2026

On Sunday, the Columbus Blue Jackets visit the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The game will start at 6:00 pm ET. Columbus is 7th in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-3-0 record, while Minnesota is 3rd in the Central Division at 5-2-1. Columbus will complete a back-to-back on Sunday after facing the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Blue Jackets lost to Florida 7-3 last time out, and Minnesota has won three of its past four games, including a 5-4 victory over St. Louis on Thursday. Check out our free NHL picks for more predictions.

Columbus Blue Jackets Need Better Defensive Play

Columbus lost to Florida 7-3 last time out, following a 5-3 loss to St. Louis. The Blue Jackets have been victorious in just two of their first five games. Columbus scores an average of 3.00 goals per game on 27.8 shots, while allowing 4.20 goals per game on 26.8 shots. The power play scores 16.7% of the time, while the penalty kill has held opponents scoreless just 61.1% of the time.

Cole Sillinger and Charlie Coyle lead Columbus in points with five each. Sillinger has scored a team-best three goals, while Coyle has a team-best five assists. Kent Johnson also has three goals, and Zach Werenski has four assists. Goalie Jet Greaves is 1-2-0 with a .874 save percentage and 3.42 goals-against average. Cam Talbot is 1-1-0 with a .822 SV% and 4.43 GAA.

Injuries: No players are listed on the Columbus injury report.

Minnesota Wild Have Been Tough at Home

Minnesota beat St. Louis 5-4 on Thursday, bouncing back from a 5-2 loss to Winnipeg. The Wild have been victorious in three of the past four games and are 3-0-0 at home. Minnesota scores an average of 3.25 goals per game on 29.0 shots, while allowing 2.50 goals per game on 26.6 shots. The Wild have scored four goals or more in three of the past four games. Minnesota's power play scores 33.3% of the time, while the penalty kill is successful 88.5% of the time.

Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota in goals with nine and points with 14, while Quinn Hughes has a team-best 10 assists and 12 points. Matt Boldy has scored five goals and has seven points. Goalie Jesper Wallstedt is 5-1-1 with a .920 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average. Calvin Pickard is 0-1-0 with a .800 SV% and 5.00 GAA.

Injuries: Jared Spurgeon, Nico Sturm and Marcus Foligno are out. Kirill Kaprizov and Olli Maatta are day-to-day.

Key To The Game

Minnesota allows 1.70 fewer goals per game than Columbus and has the stronger special teams. The Blue Jackets will also be playing for the second straight day, while the Wild have had two days off since Thursday's victory.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild Pick

• Minnesota Wild

Minnesota has won three of its past four games and is 3-0-0 at home. Columbus has lost three of five and will be playing for the second straight day. The Wild allow 2.50 goals per game, compared to 4.20 for the Blue Jackets. Kaprizov has scored nine goals, while Wallstedt has five wins and a .920 save percentage. Minnesota has the stronger goaltending and home record entering Sunday's afternoon game.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild Over/Under Pick

• Over

Columbus has allowed 12 goals in its past two games, including seven against Florida last time out. Minnesota has scored four goals or more in three of its past four games, and Kaprizov has nine goals. The Blue Jackets have scored three goals in three straight outings, but their penalty kill has stopped just 61.1% of opponents' opportunities. Both teams have enough scoring to push the total higher on Sunday.