Minnesota Wild (1-0-0) at Chicago Blackhawks (0-0-1) | Monday, September 21, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT | United Center, Chicago, IL
Saturday’s opener was the kind of preseason loss that stings more than it should. Chicago actually led 2-1 in the second period on goals from Dominic Toninato and Boucher, killed off a couple of penalties late, and looked like it was headed for a win in the desert — sorry, in Saint Paul — before Minnesota tied it with under six minutes left in regulation. Then, with just 64 seconds left in overtime, Daemon Hunt jammed home a rebound that stood up after review, and the Wild escaped with a 3-2 win. As a Blackhawks fan, that’s a tough way to open the preseason, even in a game that ultimately doesn’t count. Tonight, Chicago gets an immediate chance to respond, hosting the rematch at United Center just two days later.
Here’s my real breakdown of tonight’s game — the tactical wrinkles and roster evaluation storylines that matter more than the exhibition scoreline.
Game Info: Wild at Blackhawks
- Date: Monday, September 21, 2026
- Puck Drop: 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT
- Venue: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
- TV: Chicago Sports Network, ESPN+
- Context: Second of two preseason meetings between these clubs in a three-day span — Minnesota won the opener 3-2 in overtime
Why Saturday’s Loss Isn’t Really a Loss Worth Dwelling On (Mostly)
I want to be careful not to overreact to a preseason overtime result, because it genuinely doesn’t matter for the standings. But there’s real evaluation value in how it happened. Arvid Söderblom was sharp for most of the night before the late goal, and Chicago actually out-executed Minnesota for stretches of the second period. The concerning part wasn’t the goaltending or the effort — it was the fact that Chicago couldn’t hold a one-goal lead against a Wild team that was also rotating in fringe and depth players. That’s exactly the kind of detail that separates real prospect evaluation from just watching final scores.
The Goalie Matchup Tonight
Calvin Pickard enters tonight with a sharp 1.88 goals-against average from Minnesota’s opener, a composed first look for the Wild’s crease. Chicago’s Söderblom posted a 2.81 GAA in his own opening appearance — respectable, but with real room to be sharper given how the game actually ended. If Chicago goes back to Söderblom tonight rather than rotating to a different name in net, this is a real opportunity for him to clean up the picture after Saturday’s disappointing finish.
The Nazar-Kane Line Still Hasn’t Broken Through
Here’s the storyline I’m watching most closely: Frank Nazar’s line, centering Patrick Kane and KHL import Roman Kantserov, didn’t find the scoresheet in Saturday’s opener. Chicago’s goals came instead from depth pieces — Toninato and Boucher — which is a fine outcome for a preseason opener but doesn’t answer the actual question hanging over this camp: can Nazar produce running a line with this much offensive talent on his wings? Tonight is the second data point, and a much more meaningful one than the first, since both sides now have real preseason tape on each other.
Last Season’s Numbers Tell You Why Minnesota Is the Tougher Team on Paper
Zooming out to last season’s full body of work, the gap between these two organizations is real. Minnesota ran a 25.2% power play compared to Chicago’s 16.9%, killed penalties at a 79.8% clip against Chicago’s better 83.6% mark, and outscored opponents at a 3.27-to-2.87 goals-for-to-against ratio while Chicago sat at a rougher 2.56-to-3.29. That’s the swing-and-roundabout of these two franchises’ recent history in one set of numbers — Chicago is rebuilding around young talent like Nazar, Bedard, and this year’s group of prospects, while Minnesota is already an established, well-rounded roster.
A Familiar Face Wearing the Wrong Colors
Worth knowing if you’re settling in for tonight’s broadcast: Minnesota forward Ryan Hartman was actually a Blackhawks draft pick, taken 30th overall back in 2013, and he racked up 57 points across 141 games in a Chicago sweater from 2014 to 2018 before moving on. It’s a small connective thread, but exactly the kind of thing that makes a preseason exhibition game a little more textured than just a score to track.
What Actually Matters Tonight
I’m not watching tonight for the final score any more than I watched Saturday’s game for it. I want to see the Nazar line generate real chances rather than just ice time, I want to see whether Söderblom (or whoever starts) can close out a game the way Saturday’s group couldn’t, and I want another look at how Bowen Byram is settling into Chicago’s blue line in his first exhibition stretch with the club. The rematch format — same two teams, 48 hours apart — makes tonight one of the more useful evaluation windows of this camp.
My Final Score Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks 3, Minnesota Wild 2 — the head-to-head result feels almost secondary to whether Nazar’s line finally clicks.
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