ST. PAUL, Minn. — Quinn Hughes’ series-clinching goal on Thursday was far from a fluke or a lucky bounce.
It was a calculated move under pressure by one of the world’s best defensemen — and biggest hockey nerds.
With Game 6 tied 2-2 midway through the third, the sellout crowd at Grand Casino Arena was tense. Anxiously quiet. They’ve seen this movie many times, the Minnesota Wild coming oh so close to a playoff series victory. But as Brock Faber sent a cross-zone pass to Hughes on the left side, the former Norris Trophy winner quickly analyzed his options.
He saw Ryan Hartman darting to the front of the net, Kirill Kaprizov near the back post. Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was sliding over. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt said the group had talked during the series about how much the Stars’ defensemen try to protect the front of the net, box out and block shots, so if they “tried to shoot off skates or bodies, we knew that would be good.”
Hughes thought about how many times he would have just shot that puck.
“I just kept that in the back of my mind that maybe one of these times, just chuck it backdoor and see what happens,” Hughes said.
What happened was Hughes, 26, ripped a wrist shot that banked in off the skate of Dallas’ Ilya Lyubushkin, giving the Wild the lead for good in a 5-2 victory over the Stars.
It was part of a dominating performance by Hughes in the biggest game of the season — his two-goal, one-assist signature moment with the Wild (so far).
This was why the Wild gave up a haul to land Hughes in a mid-December blockbuster with Vancouver. He’s an ultimate X-factor for a franchise 10 years removed from its last playoff series win.
“What he’s capable of doing as a hockey player is pretty special,” Matt Boldy said. “I think you see that. Ever since he’s come to Minnesota, the jump that we’ve made as a team in every aspect of our game has been better with him being on our team. When one player has that much of an impact and leads the way he does and steps up in the biggest moments, it’s pretty special to have him on the ice and have him have the puck.”
This wasn’t just what Hughes did on the scoresheet, including tallying the game’s first goal six minutes in, a crafty deke and drive before a wrist shot in the slot. It was how he dominated the game with the puck on his stick, a one-man breakout and transition kickstarter. He was tenacious in puck battles and creative in getting himself out of trouble.
Asked if he’s ever seen a defenseman control a game like that, Marcus Foligno — a 15-year-NHL veteran — shook his head.
“No, honest to God,” Foligno said. “I’m not making a comparable. But I don’t know a D in the league that, just even when you’ve got guys that pressure him going back to our zone, he doesn’t throw it away.
“You want to check him and forecheck him — he’s probably one of the slipperiest guys in the league. Yeah, we’re thankful we have him.”
It took about five days from the day Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin first called Vancouver president Jim Rutherford from the Laguardia Airport to finish the biggest trade in franchise history. Guerin’s first and only offer was massive — prized defense prospect Zeev Buium, top-six center Marco Rossi, wing prospect Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick. But the Wild considered it well worth it, even if there wasn’t a promised extension as part of the package (Hughes is an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027).
What the move did was send a shockwave through the Wild dressing room. They were already a really good team without him. Now, they were a legit Cup contender. Guerin and owner Craig Leipold were signaling they were in win-now mode.
“I think it gave a huge vote of confidence in their belief in the team, and I think within the group of guys, when you add a player like him, that was a boost,” coach John Hynes said. “I would say the second part of that is who he is. How he plays. The type of character he has fit in really well with the group. He’s a great teammate. So you’re adding a superstar player that’s a superstar person.”
Hughes has been described a hockey nerd or hockey junkie by many of his former teammates and coaches. He knows a ton about players and teams all over the league. Tendencies. It’s what gives him an elite hockey IQ. And it’s what led Hughes to be very open to coming to Minnesota in the trade, knowing the core in place of Boldy, Kaprizov, Faber, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello could compete. Hughes said Thursday that they were all “beasts” this series. Their depth scoring showed up, including Vladimir Tarasenko’s tying goal in Game 6. Foligno and Michael McCarron each had key goals earlier in the series.
What Hughes appreciates is the style they play, sparked by the coaching staff.
“They kind of just preached continuing to attack,” Hughes said. “There wasn’t a lot of, ‘Keep it safe,’ ‘Do this, do that.’ We were trying to win, which I love. Every time I talk to my dad and call him and ask him how my game was, he’s always talking about that fourth line and how much he loves them. It was a full team effort. The pressure they apply on the other team and then we can roll out and kind of play our game.”
Having a franchise-caliber defenseman like Hughes was a game-changer in a series in which the Stars had their own all-world blueliner in Miro Heiskanen, who was terrific. The top-seeded Avalanche, awaiting Minnesota in the second round, have their own version, as well, in Cale Makar.
“There’s special players that do something special, and we had an abundance from (Hughes) and (Boldy) and (Faber) and (Kaprizov),” Foligno said. “We’re pumped to have him here and, I mean, just to see the excitement the fans have with him every time he touches a puck, it’s so much confidence.”
Hughes appreciates players like Kaprizov, Boldy and Faber — “ultra competitive” guys who try to take over games. He believes the experience he gained at the Milan Olympics, including scoring the overtime goal against Sweden in the quarterfinals and then winning the gold, will help him in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“You can’t have a bigger moment than what we had definitely in the quarters playing against Sweden, who is an unbelievable team, but then Canada,” Hughes said. “Just Hall of Famers all over that game. A game that happens every 16 years. So a lot of pressure. And I think that’s allowed us, or at least for myself, just to continue to grow in games like this.”
Hughes became the first Wild defenseman to score a series-clinching goal, matching a franchise record for most points in a potential series-clinching game. There’s is usually a sense around the team, captain Jared Spurgeon said, that when Hughes is on the ice, something special is going to happen. And while Hughes had been relatively quiet, at least production-wise, going into Game 6 (zero goals, five assists), there were so many subtle moments where he made a play happen. For example, Hughes’ slick ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone on Boldy’s goal in Game 5.
Thursday was just Hughes’ maestro performance.
“He’s one of the best defensemen — if not the best defenseman. I think he’s the best,” Faber said of Hughes. “That’s what we expect of him, what he does night in, night out. It’s a confidence boost. When he’s on the ice, good things happen. It’s incredible what he does.”
