It’s hard not to be impressed with the Minnesota Wild’s start to the 2026-27 season. After defeating the San Jose Sharks on Friday night, the Wild improved to 12-3-3 and led the Western Conference in points. The only team with more points right now is the Carolina Hurricanes (28), and the Wild may be more impressive with 12 of their 18 games on the road.
Overcoming countless injuries is also a reason why the Wild should be inspiring optimism in fans. But the bigger challenge is bringing that momentum home.
So far, the Wild have met the challenge, posting a 5-0-1 record at Grand Casino Arena ahead of Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, Minnesota ranked seventh in points (54) and points percentage (.659) at home. However, the Wild ranked 21st in each of the previous two seasons with 46 points and a .561 points percentage.
To be a championship-caliber team, the Wild will need to defend their home ice. And Friday’s win over the Sharks shows how they can pull it off.
To fully acknowledge the issue, we have to look back at why the Wild have struggled at home in the past. Part of it could be a team slogging through hefty cap penalties created by Ryan Suter and Zach Parise’s buyouts. But a lot of it is on-ice things that the Wild can control.
How the Wild start at home plays a big role. In the past, they seemed to establish their legs through the first period and feel out an opponent. While this can be a natural part of a hockey game, it also lets the opposing team strike early and puts Minnesota in an early hole.
Those slow starts affect the crowd, who loyally pack Grand Casino Arena no matter the Wild’s record. But while other cities have a reputation for being rowdy, Wild fans are more observant, watching the game and formulating their own opinions.
In other words, they need something other than “Sweet Caroline” and “Livin’ On A Prayer” to wake them up, and a faster start would be a good way to get them vocally invested in the game.
Another is the number of high-danger chances the Wild have created compared to their opponents. Part of this is trying to get back to a downhill style of hockey compared to the “East-West” style The Athletic’s Michael Russo cited when they let Mats Zuccarello leave last summer.
While that affects the Wild’s offense, Minnesota’s defense has sometimes gotten caught going through the motions, allowing an opposing skater on the doorstep to tuck one in with little resistance.
Special teams have been an issue for Minnesota most of the time they’ve tried to contend. But while the power play (25.2%) and penalty kill (79.8%) have posted solid numbers this season, the latter has been a bigger issue, with Minnesota posting a 74.5% overall rate in 2023-24 and a 72.4% rate in 2024-25.
Family and outside influences are present at home. Meanwhile, hockey is the No. 1 priority on the road. That’s also a meaningful factor. But ultimately, this is about what the Wild can control on the ice, and they managed that masterfully against San Jose.
The Wild started fast and cashed in on a power-play goal by Kirill Kaprizov at 7:55 into the first period. Maxim Shabanov scored a power-play goal in the second period, and it also held the Sharks scoreless on three power-play opportunities.
The Shabanov goal also came from going to the net. While Hughes fed Kaprizov in the right faceoff circle, where Kaprizov had scored earlier in the night, he fired a pass toward the net, where Shabanov waited to tuck it in and give the Wild a lead.
On the opposite end, Jesper Wallstedt was brilliant in net, making 23 saves. The lone Sharks goal came when Macklin Celebrini hit the crossbar, and the puck deflected off Wallstedt’s back and into the net. But it also shows how locked in Wallstedt has been this year, ranking in the 90th percentile with an .875 save percentage on high-danger chances, according to NHL Edge.
As a bonus, Wild got contributions from everywhere. Shabanov’s goal signals an emerging player. But even Zach Bogosian got his first goal of the year as part of his Silver Stick tour. The Wild’s stars also played like stars, with Kaprizov recording four points and Hughes adding a goal and an assist, and “Shout” was on repeat to give the Wild a home win.
These are things the Wild haven’t done at home in the past, but need to do to stay one of the best teams in the NHL. The returns of Brock Faber, Marcus and Nick Foligno, and Jared Spurgeon should help. But if the Wild play at home the way they did Friday night, they’ll be tough to beat anywhere.
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