The Nashville Predators open the regular season hosting the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 1 (7 p.m. CT, The Spot Nashville 28).
Chris MacFarland, the Predators' new president of hockey operations and general manager
, built an intriguing roster over the summer. Older veterans like Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Ryan O'Reilly will be back, plus new young contributors like Mavrik Bourque, Jack Drury, and Nils Hoglander have joined the club.In all, nine new players made Nashville's 23-man opening night roster, which was announced on Sept. 29.
Coach Andrew Brunette returns for his fourth season in Nashville, joined by assistant coaches Luke Richardson, Derek MacKenzie, and Darby Hendrickson.
The Wild advanced to the second round of the Stanley
Cup Playoffs last season, where they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games. Former Predators coach John Hynes will be back with the Wild for his fourth season behind the bench.
The Wild's best offensive weapon is Kirill Kaprizov, who had 45 goals and 44 assists last season. He's again joined by Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek to lead Minnesota's forward group. Quinn Hughes, who was traded to Minnesota from Vancouver last year, is the Wild's top defenseman.
The goaltending matchup should feature Juuse Saros for the Predators and Filip Gustavsson for the Wild.
Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild
05:10 PM ET, October 1 2026, Alex Daugherty- Date: Thursday, Oct. 1
- Time: 7 p.m. CT
- Location: Bridgestone Arena
Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild channel, how to watch
05:05 PM ET, October 1 2026, Alex DaughertyThe Nashville Predators matchup with the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 1 will be broadcast on The Spot Nashville 28 (WNXP) and on Predators TV via the Predators app.
Two ways to watch:
- The Spot Nashville 28 (WNXP) - Click here for a list of all broadcast affiliates
- Predators TV on the Predators app
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild, live updates, how to watch, lineup
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