Thursday night’s NHL schedule includes a matchup where the Minnesota Wild visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Wild are on a strong run and look to extend their current winning streak, while Columbus aims to protect its home ice and get a second win in a row. Before this matchup begins, I’ve made my Wild vs Blue Jackets prediction, which you can find below.
Our Wild vs Blue Jackets Pick
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets
- Date & Time: Thursday, December 18, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
The Wild enter this game with substantial momentum, riding a five-game winning streak and most recently dominating the Washington Capitals with a 5‑0 shutout win. Filip Gustavsson turned aside 25 shots in that outing, earning his third clean sheet of the season, while contributions came up and down the lineup on offense.
Columbus has struggled to find consistency, but they did end a losing streak with a victory over the Anaheim Ducks in their most recent outing. Minnesota is playing much better hockey than Columbus of late and will try to keep it that way with a solid performance here.
Goaltending
Between the pipes, Minnesota’s netminding has been a strength of late. Gustavsson has anchored the defense effectively, with strong save percentages and recent shutouts boosting confidence in his ability to limit opposition. The Blue Jackets are expected to turn to Jet Greaves, who has shown the ability to make big saves, but his team has surrendered goals at a higher clip overall.
Key skaters
Offensively, Minnesota has a potent one‑two punch. Kirill Kaprizov leads the club with his combination of goals and assists, while Matthew Boldy has been equally dangerous with a team-high 19 assists. The addition of Hughes gives Minnesota an extra dynamic weapon on the power play. Columbus is led by Zach Werenski, whose point totals stand out among his teammates. Kirill Marchenko is also an important weapon for the Jackets as they look to turn things around.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) | |
| Matthew Boldy (MIN) |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Columbus beat the Wild 7-4 in their first meeting of the season in mid-October.
- Columbus is 15-17 in the puckline market going into this matchup.
- The Wild went 19-15 on the puckline entering Thursday night.
Wild vs Blue Jackets Model Projection
Final Thoughts
