Jesper Wallstedt and Ilya Sorokin headline Thursday night’s matchup at Grand Casino Arena, and the crease battle fits the form of both teams right now. The Minnesota Wild return home riding a three-game winning streak, while the New York Islanders bring a 6-4-2 record into St. Paul for a meeting that looks built around goaltending.
Minnesota has hit its stride after finishing the road trip with three straight wins, and Wallstedt has been a big reason why. The 23-year-old has become one of the Wild’s most important players through the first 14 games, stepping into a larger role while Filip Gustavsson remains out following hip surgery. He comes into Thursday with an 8-2-2 record, a 1.99 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 12 appearances.
That production has helped anchor a Minnesota team that has allowed only 31 goals in 14 games, which works out to 2.21 per contest. Wallstedt backed that up again Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth, turning aside 26 of 27 shots in a 3-1 win. It was another clean showing, another win for Minnesota, and another reminder that the Wild are getting steady work in net night after night.
This will be Wallstedt’s second career appearance against the Islanders. In the first one, he stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 5-2 Minnesota victory on Nov. 7, 2025.
The other side brings a proven veteran in Sorokin, who has also opened the year well. The 31-year-old is 5-3-0 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in eight appearances, numbers that fit right into the Islanders’ early-season success.
New York enters Thursday off a 4-3 shootout win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, though Sorokin did not play in that game. Semyon Varlamov got the start.
Sorokin has faced Minnesota seven times before, and his career line in those games is 2-4-1 with a 2.84 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Thursday will be his eighth career appearance against the Wild.
The larger picture points to two teams that have done a solid job keeping opponents from getting comfortable. Minnesota is giving up 25.1 shots per game while producing 31.3 itself.
New York has allowed 26.3 shots per contest and is averaging 26.1 offensively. The Wild have also been perfect at home so far, going 4-0-0 at Grand Casino Arena.
Minnesota has outscored opponents 44-31 this season. New York has scored 35 goals and allowed 31. And with both starters carrying save percentages above .918, the game has the feel of one that could swing on a handful of big stops.
Wallstedt will try to keep his strong October rolling and push Minnesota to four straight wins. Sorokin will be tasked with slowing a Wild attack led by Kirill Kaprizov, who has already scored 14 goals in 14 games.
In Other News...
Wild Face An Islanders Lineup Still Searching For Answers
Injuries have forced the Islanders back into a more familiar structure as they get ready to face the Wild, with Peter DeBoer opting for a traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen after recent absences along the lineup. The shakeup comes amid missing pieces up front and on defense, leaving New York to piece together a group that has not had much time to settle.
Kyle MacLean is back in the mix as the Islanders try to steady themselves after a recent loss, while Ilya Sorokin is set to handle the start in goal. The changes give New York a chance to reset, but they also underscore how much the roster is still searching for answers as it comes into Minnesota shorthanded and trying to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Trade Talk Just Took A More Serious Turn
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The most striking development is in Detroit, where the captains status has added urgency to conversations that were already heating up. For Minnesota, that matters because the club is always watching for a chance to address its blue line or make a bigger swing if the right deal opens up, and the latest chatter suggests the market may be headed toward exactly that kind of moment. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Roster Shift Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
The Wild added another defensive piece to the organizational mix by claiming Cameron Crotty off waivers from Ottawa, a move that came as the Senators were trying to navigate a roster shuffle of their own. Ottawa had put Crotty on waivers Wednesday, and Minnesota stepped in to grab the blueliner as the Senators continue to sort through the ripple effects of a changing lineup.
For Ottawa, the timing is hardly ideal. Warren Foegele is headed to the sidelines for an extended stretch after a knee-on-knee hit against Vegas, while the club is also preparing to welcome Thomas Chabot back into the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings and finally get its full defensive group together. Even with that good news, the loss of Foegele leaves another hole to manage, and it underscores how quickly one roster move can complicate the next. [Read more 🡒]