The Minnesota Wild close out 2026 with the longest homestand of their season: seven home games at Grand Casino Arena in downtown St. Paul between Saturday, December 12 and Monday, December 28. According to the team’s published schedule, that is a run of hockey straight through the holidays, and it is a good excuse to book a few nights on the Minneapolis side of the river, in a historic mansion with a four-season hot tub waiting when the game ends.
Here is the full list of games, a plan for which dates make the best weekends, and why Loring Park makes a calmer home base than a hotel next door to the arena.
The Wild’s December Home Games at a Glance
These dates and puck-drop times come from the Wild’s 2026–27 schedule as released in July (see the KTTC schedule report for the homestand and the official NHL Wild schedule for the live calendar). Times are Central, and the league can still flex them, so confirm before you book travel.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Winnipeg, 2:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 15: Toronto, 7 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 18: Anaheim, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Montreal, 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 22: Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 26: Winnipeg, 6 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 28: Vegas, 1 p.m.
Notice what is not on the list: there is no game on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so the schedule leaves the holiday itself free for family and leaves the days on either side wide open for a getaway.
Which Wild Weekend Should You Book?
The Winnipeg afternoon game, Dec. 12. A 2:30 p.m. start on a Saturday is the friendliest puck drop of the month. You can drive in that morning, see the game, and still make a dinner reservation back in Minneapolis. It is also the first night of the homestand, which makes it a natural opener for a December weekend.
The Anaheim-Montreal double, Dec. 18–19. Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. give you two straight nights of NHL hockey with a full day between them. A two-night stay lets you go to both games without driving home in between. Be aware that Target Center is also busy that same weekend; we sorted out where to stay for the Dec. 18–20 Target Center lineup in a separate guide.
The after-Christmas Winnipeg game, Dec. 26. A Saturday-evening game the day after Christmas, against a divisional opponent, is a good fit for relatives who are already in town. Consider it a gift idea: tickets plus a night away.
Vegas on Dec. 28. A 1 p.m. Monday start is the last game of the homestand and a gentle way to stretch the holidays by one more night.
Why Stay in Minneapolis for a St. Paul Hockey Game?
Grand Casino Arena is in downtown St. Paul, which longtime fans still call Xcel Energy Center. 300 Clifton sits in Loring Park, on the Minneapolis side, roughly a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive or rideshare away depending on traffic. Parking and traffic on game nights are the arena’s to manage, so plan your ride with some cushion.
What you get for that short trip is a different kind of evening. The Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places, with hand-painted murals, carved fireplaces and English gardens, and it is a boutique bed and breakfast rather than a chain hotel. After the third period you can soak in the four-season garden hot tub under the winter sky, then have a nightcap in Gertrude’s Cistern, our speakeasy-style lounge and haunted video lounge with heated reclining seats.
Make It a Whole Winter Weekend
A Wild game fills one evening. The rest of the weekend is yours, and downtown Minneapolis has plenty to fill it. Our earlier guide to the Nov. 6–7 Wild back-to-back covers the same logic for early November. For daytime ideas, the Loring Park paths are steps from the front door, and our guide to ice skating near downtown Minneapolis has winter options once the rinks open.
Booking direct with 300 Clifton comes with perks: every guest receives a $20 Pillsbury Club dining voucher and a $20 Minneapolis Trolley voucher per stay (details on our vouchers page). The Pillsbury Club is the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion, and the trolley departs from there, so you can pair a hockey night with a historic dinner or a ride.
Book Early for the Holiday Homestand
Seven home games across seventeen days, wrapped around the holidays, means hotels near the arena will fill and rates will climb. If you know which game you want, check availability at 300 Clifton now, pick the room that suits your group, and let the hockey be the only thing you have to plan.
Keep reading: Where Should You Stay for Armory and Fillmore Concerts in Minneapolis This November and December?