The Blues are headed into Minnesota after one of their sharpest road openers in recent memory, a 7-2 rout of Ottawa that wiped away their usual slow-start label in a hurry. Now comes a different test: their first Central Division matchup of the 2026-27 season, and a shot at a Wild team that should demand more than the Senators did.
If St. Louis is going to make that win in Ottawa matter, Robert Thomas needs to be part of it.
The Blues captain has not found his rhythm this season, but Minnesota has been one of his better matchups lately. Over his last seven games against the Wild, he has posted two goals and five assists for seven points.
After a quiet start to 2026-27, the Blues need that version of Thomas to show up.
Mason McTavish is another name worth circling. He has been exactly the kind of addition St.
Louis hoped for, and his production has already started to stack up. McTavish has four goals and four assists in 13 career games against Minnesota, and he’ll be seeing the Wild as a Blue for the first time.
He also brings a four-game point streak into the night. If that kind of secondary scoring keeps rolling from McTavish, Connor McMichael, and Jonatan Berggren, the Blues could be looking at a tough conversation about the first line, with a full swap possible.
Then there’s Adam Jiricek, who gave Blues fans a first glimpse of his scoring touch with his first NHL goal against Ottawa. This trip to Minnesota will be his first against the Wild, and it comes with a real challenge on the other side. Quinn Hughes will be there on defense, while Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are the kind of forwards who can expose a young blueliner’s mistakes all night.
The Blues got the statement win. Now they have to back it up in a tougher building, against a stronger opponent, with a few players who can swing the night in their favor.
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Mason McTavish Is Giving Blues Fans More To Believe In
The early weeks of the 2026-27 season have given St. Louis another young name worth tracking, and Mason McTavish is right in the middle of that conversation. Across the league, a few emerging players are starting to show the kind of growth teams hope to see in their early 20s, and McTavish has fit that pattern with a stronger offensive presence and a larger role than he had in previous seasons.
For Blues fans, the appeal is obvious: McTavish did not come in as a depth piece, and his play is already hinting at a bigger place in the lineup. The start has been encouraging enough to raise real expectations, even if the bigger question is how long this level of production can hold and just how far his role can expand as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]