The Minnesota Wild faced the Boston Bruins on Sunday evening, December 14, to conclude their back-to-back at home. The biggest news of the day was: from of course Quinn Hughes’ debut, which gave a boost to the entire line-up and the audience. The injury list remained the same at the start of the match, but by the end they were missed Marcus Johansson and David Jiříček. Filip Gustavsson was back in the net.
The Wild started with the lead in the first, scored a pair of goals in the second and in the third they continued to score as they won 6-2. In this article, we’ll take a look at how the Wild pulled off the win, starting with their new star, Hughes, on his first night in a Wild jersey.
Hughes came as advertised
Everyone knew Hughes’ talent level before he came to the Wild, which is why everyone was so excited to know he was coming to the State of Hockey. However, switching teams can be difficult, and of course some players struggle to live up to the hype that surrounds them, especially after being traded.
None of that was the case for Hughes. He clearly came as advertised and then some, as he scored his first goal in a Wild jersey in his debut. He fit into the lineup almost seamlessly and looked like he had been with this team for seasons, not one game. Everyone expected the talent, but you might also have expected there to be a few hiccups with a new team and adjustments to be made, but surprisingly there were only a few of those issues. He made a smooth transition and had a very good outing in his new colors.
As a side note to Hughes’ game, he also helped his defensive partner, Brock Faber, take the game to the next level. Faber was already a strong defender with a lot of skill, but adding Hughes as his partner highlighted that even more, something the Wild needed.
“Yeah, well, when you have a player with his ability, he does so many things in the game, whether it’s the plays he can make and he played with different guys, I thought he and Brock (Faber) were obviously a really good couple, but regardless of the situations he was in, he has the ability to make plays and… the thing about a puck-moving guy like him is he puts people in good spots…,” head coach John Hynes said of Hughes’ effect on the game. the team.
Wild’s Power Play finds spark
The Wild’s power play is starting to show signs of life again, and that was the case when they took on the Bruins. It added an extra energy once Hughes was added, and while he didn’t score a point while he had the man advantage, they handled the puck a lot better with him on the ice. He had only played a handful of shifts before joining the power play, but once again, he fit right in.
Now it’s time to talk about the power play scorers. The first was their captain, Jared Spurgeon, with a powerful shot from the point that went all the way through. It was his second goal of the season and gave his team an early lead. The second goal on the power play was from Ryan Hartman, who got a great setup from Faber, which gave the 3-0 lead.
They also had four even-strength goals, but it’s safe to say that having those power play goals helped them come out on top since they were scored so early in the game. Hopefully they can keep the power play success going along with the even strength as they need both to win games.
“Yeah, and he’s talked about it, it might take a few games to get going and obviously with the game schedule as it is right now, there’s not a lot of time to practice, it’ll probably be mostly pre-game skates, but I just think… once you get used to it, even on a day like today where you come in, it’s the first time you meet the team and meet everyone and then you get to play, so you’ll be fine…,” Hynes said of how it will take. a little bit of time to really fine tune Hughes in the lineup.
Wild’s Gustavsson Solid
The story is about Hughes’ debut, but it’s their goaltending tandem that got them this far. Filip Gustavsson was solid all night and while he did allow a goal midway through the third, there was so much chaos in front of him that it was hard for him to see it, let alone stop it. He didn’t get the shutout, but he deserved it with his strong play.
Even after his team achieved a mostly comfortable lead, he continued to play the same game and did not give up. He continued to make strong saves and gave his team the motivation to keep pushing and score more goals. Even in the final seconds, he aggressively jumped out and controlled the puck away from a Bruins player. Finally the puck went in after that poke check, but he still made the effort.
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“No, he’s a big playmaker, he makes everything look so easy and that gives confidence to the rest of the group and we’re very happy to have him,” said Gustavsson when asked about Hughes, continuing: “Yes, and we have some injuries. He was there and made everyone look better, as you said and that’s what makes him so good.”
The storyline was all about Hughes, he made it happen when he scored a goal in his debut and put in a very strong performance having not yet had practice time with his new teammates. It will be interesting to see how many this team is getting better as he begins to fit in even more.
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