The Maple Leafs host the Wild tonight, Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena, with Toronto looking to end a four game losing run against the stingiest team in the league. NHL.com’s official game preview lists Minnesota at 13-3-4 and Toronto at 8-10-2, with the broadcast on Sportsnet in Canada.
This is a capture preview, published on game day from the day’s capture plan: the morning radar held this fixture as the rank 2 pick for the second capture slot, and the evening refresh found no bigger on brand spike. The matchup earns it on the numbers alone, a first place calibre visitor against a home team whose season needs a turn, in the building where Toronto’s season will be judged.
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Maple Leafs vs Wild, the top line problem
The challenge is specific, and it wears numbers 97, 14 and 12. Minnesota’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy has outscored opponents 16-0 in five on five goals this season, per Maple Leafs Hot Stove’s game preview, the most dominant five on five line in the NHL. Kaprizov leads the Wild with 32 points, 17 goals and 15 assists. Toronto’s counter is its own top line, Easton Cowan beside Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic in the projected lineup. Matthews leads the Leafs with 28 points, 11 goals and 17 assists, in 20 games.
Head coach Jim Hiller named the problem plainly in his game day comments, reported by Maple Leafs Hot Stove:
They’ve got a few players that are stars in the league that you really have to be mindful of, and everybody knows them. They’re hard guys to shut down, and then they have really good goaltending. That’s a pretty good combination. That’s why they’re one of the top teams.
Tanev sits, Stolarz starts, Brisson comes up
Toronto’s lineup carries three verified changes. Defenceman Chris Tanev is scratched for scheduled maintenance, with Cole McWard drawing in, and Hiller confirmed Tanev returns Saturday. Forward Colton Sissons has been placed on injured reserve, and Brendan Brisson has been called up from the Toronto Marlies. In goal, Anthony Stolarz is the projected starter for Toronto. Minnesota, meanwhile, is expected to run the same lineup that beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday, per NHL.com, with defenceman Brock Faber still short of a season debut.
The projected Toronto lines put Ryan Tverberg beside John Tavares and William Nylander on the second line, with Gavin McKenna, Nick Paul and Dakota Joshua filling out the middle of the forward group. For a team on a four game slide, at home, against a 13-3-4 opponent whose top line has not been outscored at even strength all season, tonight is a measuring stick as much as a game. Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena, and iimiTV will carry the morning after recap of whatever the measurement says.
