Are Hughes kidding?
Given his body of work since joining the Minnesota Wild, it’s safe to say Quinn Hughes continues to make his mark on his new team, which is bad news for the opposition. As proof, the 26-year-old will attempt to extend his point/assist streak to 12 games when the Wild (35-14-10) visit the Utah Mammoth (30-24-4) at Delta Center (9 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNNO, Utah16, KSTP, SN360). A point against Utah will give Hughes lone ownership of the second-longest point streak by a defenseman in his first campaign with a franchise, trailing only Steve Duchesne, who had a 15-game run with the Quebec Nordiques in 1992-93. Since being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12, Hughes has 35 points (three goals, 32 assists) in 27 games for Minnesota. Prior to his arrival, the Wild were averaging 2.81 goals per game (25th in the NHL), a number that has jumped to 3.96 goals per game (tied for first) since he arrived. Minnesota, five points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the Central Division lead, can record its third seven-game winning streak of the season following a 5-2 win at the Avalanche on Thursday. Utah, coming off a 4-2 loss to Colorado on Wednesday, holds the first wild in the Western Conference and received a boost in the return of forward Logan Cooley, who had an assist in his first game back since Dec. 5 because of a lower-body injury.
