Quinn Hughes had a standout performance on Saturday night, leading the Minnesota Wild to a 7-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The star defenseman, who joined the Wild from the Vancouver Canucks in December, set a new franchise record for the longest points and assist streak by a Wild defenseman, extending his streak to eight games with two goals and 11 assists.
Minnesota took the lead early in the second period when Mats Zuccarello scored off a Ryan Hartman faceoff win, giving the Wild a 3-2 advantage. Hughes then increased the lead with a goal at 12:29, scoring on his own rebound past Edmonton goalie Tristan Jarry. Jarry was pulled from the game after allowing five goals on 20 shots, with Connor Ingram taking over in goal for the Oilers.
In addition to Hughes, Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber also had a goal and an assist each for Minnesota. Kirill Kaprizov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Tyler Pitlick also found the back of the net for the Wild, while Jesper Wallstedt made 39 saves out of 42 shots faced.
On the Oilers’ side, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jack Roslovic scored, but Edmonton saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. The Wild now hold the second spot in the Western Conference standings, trailing behind the Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton has been struggling on the penalty kill, conceding two power-play goals to Minnesota in this game and allowing a total of six goals on 14 penalties in their last four games. The Oilers have been averaging 3.18 goals against per game this season, ranking 12th in the league. Head coach Kris Knoblauch emphasized the need for better defensive play, focusing on reducing high-quality scoring chances against the team.
Overall, the Wild’s strong performance and the Oilers’ defensive challenges were key factors in this high-scoring matchup.