The Minnesota Wild defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Thursday, gaining some momentum as the playoffs draw closer. This win clinched a playoff berth for the Wild. Additionally, Quinn Hughes set a Wild franchise record after assisting on a goal by Ryan Hartman, according to Minnesota Wild PR.
“Assisting on Ryan Hartman's third-period goal, Quinn Hughes now owns 46 assists in 43 games with the #MNWild this season. He passes Ryan Suter (45 assists, 2017-18) for the franchise's single-season assist record among defenseman,” Wild PR wrote on X.
It has been consistent production all season, and exactly what many expected after the Wild traded for Hughes in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks. The win moved the Wild up the standings and will help them garner some momentum with seven games left in the season.
Hughes has been instrumental to the offense and the power play since coming over from the Canucks. In just 43 games with the team, he is already third on the team in total points, with 50. That point total trails only Kirill Kaprizov, who has 83, and Matt Boldy, who has 79. Hughes has fit well with this team.
The play in which Hughes set the franchise record helped put the Wild up 4-2, which had been a competitive game up to that point. At one point, the Canucks led 2-1, and it looked like the worst team in the NHL might pull off a major upset for the second straight day. But Boldy tied it up 23 seconds into the second, and Kaprizov gave them the lead later in the period.
The Wild added Hughes to give them a weapon they could deploy to help the offense and defend the blue line. Now, the goal is to sustain that momentum to carry them into the playoffs.
