On Saturday evening, Quinn Hughes recorded a goal and an assist, establishing a new franchise benchmark, as his Minnesota Wild decisively defeated the Edmonton Oilers with a final score of 7-3 on their home ice.
The prominent blueliner, who joined the team from the Vancouver Canucks on December 12th, stretched his scoring run to eight consecutive matches (comprising two goals and eleven assists) and now possesses the team record for the most extended point and assist streak ever achieved by a defenseman for the Wild.
Minnesota secured its initial advantage of the contest a mere 35 seconds into the second period when Mats Zuccarello fired a shot into the net following a faceoff victory by Ryan Hartman, pushing the score to 3-2.
Hughes expanded the Wild’s lead at the 12:29 mark, deflecting his own puck rebound from the backboards past the pads of Edmonton’s goaltender Tristan Jarry, who allowed five goals on 20 attempts before being substituted midway through the second frame. Connor Ingram stepped in as his replacement, making seven saves.
“It’s challenging. The opportunities we’re conceding, some of those shots, they are difficult. There are numerous high-quality chances, many defensive lapses,” Jarry commented. “Consequently, I believe it’s hard [for me] to truly reflect on my individual performance at this juncture. It’s an effort by the entire squad.”
Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber each contributed a goal and an assist for Minnesota, whose record now stands at 32 wins, 14 losses, and 10 overtime losses.
Additional goals from Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Tyler Pitlick completed the scoring for the Wild, as Jesper Wallstedt successfully blocked 39 out of 42 shots directed his way.
Wild Secure Second Position in Western Conference
Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jack Roslovic netted goals for the Oilers, whose standing is 28 wins, 20 losses, and 8 overtime losses, marking the end of their three-game winning streak.
Minnesota has now accumulated points in five consecutive matchups, holding a record of four wins, zero losses, and one overtime loss, positioning them second in the Western Conference standings, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton’s penalty-killing unit has recently faced difficulties; the Oilers allowed two power-play goals to Minnesota and have conceded six goals during 14 penalty opportunities across their past four games.
This season, Edmonton has permitted an average of 3.18 goals per contest, ranking them 12th highest in the league for goals allowed.
According to head coach Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers must enhance their defensive performance.
“The quantity of scoring opportunities isn’t exceedingly high. However, the caliber of those chances is an area that requires attention,” he stated. “Improvements are necessary, focusing on more shots from the perimeter, and fewer breakaways, two-on-one situations, or odd-man rushes, which are currently resulting in goals. That is my current observation.”
