New York Islanders vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Predictions for Thursday, October 29, 2026

Three road wins have put Minnesota back on top of the Central Division heading into Thursday's home game against New York. The Wild are 9-3-2 with 20 points after beating Utah 3-1 on Tuesday, and they've won all four games played in St. Paul this season. The Islanders arrive following a 4-3 shootout victory in Nashville. New York is 6-4-2 with 14 points, good for fourth in the Metropolitan Division. The teams meet at Grand Casino Arena at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN+. Cash in a winning ticket with our free NHL picks.

New York Islanders Looking for More Consistency

New York got the result it wanted in Nashville, although it took a shootout to settle Tuesday's 4-3 game. That victory came after a rough visit to Dallas, where the Islanders surrendered six goals and lost by three. Los Angeles had also beaten them 3-2 in overtime a few days earlier. Before those setbacks, New York picked up wins against Anaheim and Toronto. The Islanders have earned points in four of their past five outings, but they've allowed 14 goals during that stretch. Keeping Minnesota's forwards quiet will be a challenge.

Bo Horvat has supplied six goals and seven assists this season, with half his goals coming on the power play. Matthew Schaefer has been another important part of the attack. The defenseman has 11 points, including nine assists, and leads New York with 44 shots. Ilya Sorokin gives the Islanders a strong option in goal, having posted five wins and a .919 save percentage. His 2.26 goals-against average is better than Semyon Varlamov's 2.40. New York will need a good performance in net against a Minnesota team averaging 31.2 shots.

Injuries: Matias Maccelli, Calum Ritchie, Alexander Romanov and Mathew Barzal are out.

Minnesota Wild Return Home After Three Straight Wins

Minnesota's five-game road trip ended with victories in Seattle, Vancouver and Utah. The Wild scored five against Seattle, four against Vancouver and three against Utah, while conceding only four goals across those meetings. That was a welcome recovery from losses to Edmonton and Calgary earlier in the trip. Minnesota has now collected 20 points in 14 games and leads the Central Division. Its home record is perfect through four appearances, although Thursday will be the first game at Grand Casino Arena since the recent road swing.

Kirill Kaprizov already has 14 goals, matching the number of games Minnesota has played. He's added nine assists and scored four times on the power play. Quinn Hughes has been a major contributor from defense, collecting 15 assists and 18 points. Matt Boldy has scored five goals and added seven assists. Jesper Wallstedt has given Minnesota strong goaltending, posting eight wins, a .922 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average. The Wild also average 31.2 shots per game, providing their forwards with plenty of opportunities.

Injuries: Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Foligno, Nick Foligno and Brock Faber are out. Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day.

Key To The Game

New York needs to keep Kaprizov from getting comfortable around the net. He's scored on 14 of his 48 shots, an impressive conversion rate. Minnesota also has Hughes creating opportunities from defense, which makes the Wild difficult to contain. The Islanders have a respectable penalty kill at 85.4%, but Minnesota's power play has already produced 13 goals. Sorokin could make the difference if New York keeps the score close. At the other end, Horvat will have to find openings against Wallstedt.

New York Islanders vs Minnesota Wild Game Pick

• Minnesota Wild

Minnesota has been playing excellent hockey lately, and four straight home victories make the Wild an attractive choice. Kaprizov has been scoring regularly, while Hughes and Boldy give Minnesota additional attacking options. New York deserves credit for Tuesday's shootout victory, but the Islanders have also conceded nine goals across their last two games. Facing Minnesota's offense won't make defending any easier. Wallstedt has been reliable, and the Wild are allowing fewer goals than New York. I expect Minnesota to control more of the play and earn another home victory.

New York Islanders vs Minnesota Wild Over/Under Pick

• Under

Minnesota's last three games produced combined totals of six, six and four goals. The Wild have allowed only four goals during that stretch, with Wallstedt playing particularly well. New York has been involved in some higher-scoring games recently, including Tuesday's 4-3 shootout victory over Nashville. Still, Sorokin has the numbers to keep this competitive if he starts. Minnesota allows just 2.21 goals per game, while the Islanders surrender 2.58. I expect fewer scoring chances than New York saw against Dallas. The under is the play.