Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Predictions for Sunday October 18 2026
I’ll tell you something. If I’m Columbus, the last thing I want to do Sunday is spend half the evening sitting in the penalty box. Have you seen Minnesota’s power play? Those guys have been making a living off other teams’ mistakes. And the Blue Jackets haven’t been killing penalties worth a darn. That’s a lousy combination. Columbus heads to St. Paul on Sunday, October 18, 2026, to face the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena. Puck drop is at 6:00 PM ET, with ESPN+ and the teams’ regional broadcasts carrying the action. Minnesota is favored at -175, Columbus is getting +145, and the total is 6.5 goals at DraftKings. That’s a pretty steep price on the Wild, and I can understand anybody who doesn’t want to lay it. But there’s a reason Minnesota is favored here. The Wild have been playing some good hockey, especially at home, while Columbus keeps finding ways to make life difficult for itself. Check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions throughout the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets Can’t Keep Giving Up Goals
Columbus comes into this one at 2-3-0, and the Blue Jackets have already had a few games they’d probably like to forget. They opened the season by beating Buffalo 6-3, which looked promising enough. Then came a 5-3 loss to St. Louis and a 7-3 beating from Florida. Seven goals! That’s a rough night for any goaltender. The Blue Jackets did manage a shootout win over Pittsburgh, but Utah beat them afterward. So here they are, heading into Minnesota with two wins in five games and a defense that hasn’t exactly inspired much confidence. The frustrating thing is that Columbus hasn’t been completely awful. They’ve had stretches where they’ve played good hockey. They just haven’t been able to put together enough of them.
The Blue Jackets are scoring 3.00 goals per game. Nothing wrong with that. Three goals ought to give you a chance most nights. But they’re allowing 4.20, and there’s your problem. You can’t keep spotting the other team four goals and expect to win very often. Their power play is converting 16.7%, which isn’t going to scare anybody, and the penalty kill is down at 61.1%. That’s the number that bothers me most. Minnesota is converting 33.3% of its power-play chances. One out of three. Columbus gives the Wild four or five opportunities Sunday, and we might as well start counting goals before the puck drops. The Blue Jackets need to stay out of the box, and they need better goaltending. Pretty simple, really. Doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Columbus has gotten five points from its leading scorer through five games, while its top goal scorer has three. There’s some offensive talent here, and the Blue Jackets have been getting contributions from different parts of the lineup. But the goaltending has been a mess. Their two regular options have combined for a .843 save percentage, and one of them is allowing more than four goals per game. That’s not going to work against Minnesota. The injuries aren’t helping either. Dante Fabbro is out with an upper-body injury, Isac Lundestrom is sidelined with an Achilles problem, and Ivan Provorov has been dealing with a lower-body injury. Losing defensemen when you’re already allowing more than four goals a night? That’s about the last thing this team needs.
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Minnesota Wild Have Been Taking Care Of Business
Minnesota is 5-2-1, and the Wild have won three of their last four games. They beat Florida 4-1, knocked off Vegas 4-2, lost 5-2 to Winnipeg, and then came home Thursday and beat St. Louis 5-4. That Blues game got a little wild at the end. Minnesota was up 5-2, and you figured everybody could relax. Then St. Louis scored twice late and made things uncomfortable. The Wild held on, but I imagine the coaches had a few things to say afterward. Still, five wins in eight games is a good start, and Minnesota has won all three of its home games. That’s worth remembering. This team has been pretty comfortable playing in St. Paul.
The Wild are scoring 3.25 goals per game and allowing 2.50. That’s a much better balance than Columbus has shown. Minnesota’s power play is clicking at 33.3%, and its penalty kill is sitting at 88.5%. Those are the kinds of numbers that make a coach happy. The Wild can hurt you when you take a penalty, and they don’t give much back when they’re shorthanded. Columbus is almost the complete opposite. The Blue Jackets have been struggling on both sides of special teams, and I don’t see that changing overnight. Minnesota isn’t perfect. Winnipeg put five on the board against them, and St. Louis scored four Thursday. So the Wild can certainly be beaten. But against a Columbus team that’s allowing 4.20 goals per game, I like Minnesota’s chances of getting its offense going.
Minnesota’s leading scorer has 11 points through eight games, including six goals. That’s a pretty nice start. The Wild also have a defenseman with seven assists, and their offense has been getting help from several different places. Their top goaltender has been excellent, posting a .921 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average. That’s a big difference from what Columbus has been getting. The injuries are worth watching, though. Filip Gustavsson is out with a hip injury, which puts more responsibility on the remaining goaltenders. Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno have also been dealing with injuries, while Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber have had health concerns. And there’s another thing. Minnesota’s leading scorer left Thursday’s game late after taking a hit, so I’d want an update on his status before betting. If he can’t go, that takes some of the shine off this matchup.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Predictions
Minnesota Wild Moneyline (-175)
I’m taking Minnesota, although I don’t particularly enjoy laying -175. That’s a lot to pay for a hockey game. But look at what Columbus is bringing into this matchup. The Blue Jackets are allowing 4.20 goals per game, their penalty kill is sitting at 61.1%, and their goaltending hasn’t been very good. Now they have to face a Minnesota team that’s won all three of its home games and has one of the better power plays in hockey. I don’t like that matchup for Columbus at all. The Blue Jackets can score, and that’s what worries me a little. Minnesota just allowed four goals to St. Louis, so it’s not like the Wild are impossible to beat. And I’d certainly want to know whether Minnesota’s leading scorer is healthy. But assuming the Wild have most of their regular lineup available, I think they’ve got too much going for them. Better goaltending, better special teams, and home ice. I’ll take Minnesota.
Over 6.5 Goals (+105)
I’m going over 6.5, and this one might be a little more interesting than the moneyline. Minnesota has been pretty good defensively, allowing just 2.50 goals per game. That’s the part that gives me pause. But Columbus is giving up 4.20, and the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill has been downright ugly. Minnesota could get three or four goals just by taking advantage of mistakes. And Columbus isn’t helpless offensively. The Blue Jackets are scoring three a night, and the Wild have allowed nine goals in their last two games. So there’s a chance both teams contribute here. I can see Minnesota winning 5-2, maybe 4-3 if Columbus gets a couple of good bounces. The danger is that Minnesota’s goaltender shuts things down and we end up with a 4-1 game. That could happen. But with Columbus struggling to keep the puck out of its net and Minnesota’s power play clicking, I’ll take my chances with the over.
Final Picks: Minnesota Wild Moneyline (-175) and Over 6.5 Goals (+105)
This article was completed on October 17, 2026. Betting odds, starting goaltenders, and injury reports may change before Sunday’s puck drop.
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