February 4, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Wild left winger Matt Boldy (12) celebrates defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46)’s game-winning goal against the Nashville Predators during overtime at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Three U.S. Olympic gold medalists will soon be returning “home.”
‘State of Hockey’ fans will likely welcome their return with a roar.
Matt Boldy and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber will be front and center when the Minnesota Wild face the St. Louis Blues on Sunday in St. Paul, Minnesota. This will be the Wild’s first home game since Feb. 2 after a three-week break for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Faber may receive the loudest cheers when he is recognized as a member of the U.S. team that became the first U.S. team to win a gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. The local product grew up in suburban Maple Grove, Minnesota and starred for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in college.
How is he feeling after the whirlwind of February?
“That’s enough, right?” Faber said. “I’ve been playing hockey the whole time, so my game is still good.”
The Wild have split two games since returning from the Olympic break. They won 5-2 on the road against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, but lost to the Utah Mammoths by the same score on Friday.
The loss may have come at an additional cost as veteran forward Joel Eriksson Ek left the game after being hit with a high stick in the face.
Eriksson Ek’s status remains uncertain on Sunday. He has 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 54 games this season.
“We all know what kind of player ‘Ekky’ is and the situations he can play in,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It’s unfortunate, but I hope he’s okay.”
St. Louis will also try to bounce back from a loss after falling 3-1 against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Pavel Buchnevich scored the Blues’ lone goal.
Blues forward Jake Neighbors said he and his teammates needed to put in a better effort against the Wild. He said the team recorded a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday due to a huge effort level and lost their most recent game due to a reduced effort level.
“For me, it’s a battle,” Neighbors said. “I thought our competitive level was really high on Thursday. We were excited. There was a lot of energy on the bench and in the locker room.
“For whatever reason (Saturday) it didn’t seem like we could muster the momentum and energy to take control of the game.”
Joel Hopper could get the starting start for the Blues in net one night after Jordan Binnington knocked down 30 of 32 shots against the Devils. Hopper is 13-11-3 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .897 save percentage this season, and went 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA and .944 save percentage in his only career game against Minnesota.
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson will likely get the nod after fellow netminder Jesper Wallstedt earned a start against Utah. Gustafsson is 21-9-6, 2.60 GAA, and .909 save percentage this season, and has 5-2-0, 2.32 GAA, and .919 save percentage in eight career games against the Blues.
–Field level media
