Game Preview: Wild at Flames

CALGARY, Alberta --  Minnesota continues its five-game road trip tonight in Calgary at 8:00 p.m. CT on Wild+ and KFAN FM 100.3. The Wild erased a two goal deficit in the third period in Edmonton on Tuesday night before eventually falling to the Oilers, 4-3, in overtime. Kirill Kaprizov continued his hot streak, collecting two points (1-1=2), extending his point streak to seven games. He has also now scored a goal in four consecutive games.

The matchup between Minnesota and Calgary is about as even as it can get. Over the last 10 meetings, the Wild owns a 4-4-2 record with an even goal differential (24 each). The Wild did take two-of-three games against the Flames last season, winning both at home and losing in Calgary. Per Stats Perform, the last four games between the Wild and Flames have been decided by multiple goals. That is the second-longest streak in series history, behind a five-game run between December 2010 and November 2011.

Minnesota will get some reinforcements on the blue line tonight as Jared Spurgeon and Olli Maatta return to the lineup. Spurgeon returns after missing four games due to an upper-body injury, while Maatta missed three games due to a lower-body injury. For both players, it’s also a return to a familiar place. Spurgeon made his NHL debut in Calgary on Nov. 29, 2010, and Maatta skated in 21 games with the Flames last season after being acquired from Utah at the trade deadline. After being acquired, Maatta led all Flames skaters in assists (12) and ranked T-2nd in points (2-12=14).

Tonight also marks a return for Wild forward Blake Coleman. He spent five seasons with the Flames, recording 199 points (99-100=199) across 392 games. He ranked T-1st on the Flames in shorthanded goals (4), T-2nd in goals (20) and was sixth in points (20-15=35) last season.

The additions of Coleman and Maatta meant the departure of defenseman Jake Middleton. He will face his former Wild team for the first time this season. Middleton spent five seasons with Minnesota, collecting 82 points (21-61=82) in 322 career games.

“He was a very big personality person in our room but when you’re out there it’s game on. We’ll see him after the game but as of right now we’re enemies,” Spurgeon told reporters after morning skate today with a slight smile on his face.

Minnesota will look to get back in the win column tonight against Middleton and the Flames before continuing its longest trip of the season with back-to-back games against Seattle and Vancouver this weekend.

Info for Tonight's Game:

• When: Thursday, October 22 at 8:00 p.m. CT
• Where: Scotia Place Arena (Calgary, Alberta)
• Watch: Where to Watch
• Listen: KFAN
• Gamecenter: Wild at Flames

Records:

• Minnesota Wild Record: 6-2-2, 14 points
• Calgary Flames Record: 2-6-0, 4 points
• All-Time Wild Record: 46-47-17 (28-18-10 at Grand Casino Arena, 18-29-7 at Calgary)

Wild Leaders Against Flames

• D Quinn Hughes leads Minnesota with 24 points (4-20=24) in 31 career games against Calgary.
• D Jared Spurgeon owns 16 points (5-11=16) in 47 career games.
• LW Nick Foligno has 16 points (9-7=16) in 30 games.
• Boldy owns 13 points (6-7=13) in 15 contests.
• LW Marcus Foligno has 12 points (10-2=12) in 29 games.

Flames Leaders Against Wild

• C Mikael Backlund leads Calgary with 22 points (8-14=22) in 48 career matches against the Wild.
• Huberdeau owns 18 points (8-10=18) in 26 games.
• C Ryan Strome has 11 points (2-9=11) in 28 games.
• C Yegor Sharangovich (4-4=8, in 13 games) and D Zach Whitecloud (3-5=8, in 19 games) have eight points each.

Connections

• C Blake Coleman collected 199 points (99-100=199) in 392 games with Calgary over a span of five seasons (2021-26).
• D Olli Määttä tallied 14 points (2-12=14) in 21 games with Calgary (2025-26).
• RW Tyler Pitlick collected two assists in 25 games with the Flames in 2021-22,
• D Jake Middleton recorded 82 points (21-61=82) in 322 games with Minnesota over a span of five seasons (2021-26).
• F Ben Jones tallied three points (1-2=3) in 54 games across parts of two seasons (2024-26) with the Wild.
• Whitecloud played two seasons (2016-18) at Bemidji State University.

Fast Facts

• The Wild is 15-11-3 in its last 29 games at the Saddledome after starting the all-time series 3-18-4.

For more information on tonight's matchup, check out the game notes below.