The Minnesota Wild hosted the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, Jan. 12, on what many were calling “The Hughes Bowl,” because all three Hughes brothers, Quinn, Jack, and Luke, were in the game, and they had a chance for a nice family photo before puck drop. The Wild remained without Zach Bogosian and Joel Eriksson Ek due to injuries, and Jesper Wallstedt was in the net.
The Devils got on the board first in the opening period, and the Wild had to fight to stay in the game. They tied it in the second period, but the Devils stole the lead back and had it going into the third period. The Devils continued to pile it on in the third, and the Wild couldn’t mount a comeback as the Devils took the win 5-2. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the Hughes brothers.
Wild’s Hughes vs Devils’ Hughes’
Of course, the biggest storyline of the night was Quinn Hughes facing off against his brothers Jack and Luke, who both play for the Devils. It was difficult to spot Quinn and Luke on the ice at the same time since they’re both defensemen; they did see each other a couple of times despite typically being at opposite ends of the ice.
Jack and Quinn had the chance to go against each other throughout the night since Jack is the lone forward of the three brothers. However, it was rare not to see at least one of the three on the ice at all times during the game. Jack was the lone brother to register a point as he assisted on his team’s third goal of the night.
“Yes, I mean it’s fun, it’s really cool obviously but also looking forward to the day being over and just on to the next one,” said Quinn Hughes about playing against his brothers and continued on how it’s difficult to lose against them, “Yeah I think you know you want this one but also just lost the last game, lost tonight, just more worried about that aspect and the fact that I just know, we probably got a little bit better, so just focus on that.”
Wild Had Chances
For the number of times the Wild missed the net, they probably could’ve had at least five goals scored. While they technically were outshot by the Devils, it wasn’t for a lack of actual shots; they had 22 shots, but it could’ve been 42 if you added in their 20 missed shots. They had a lot of chances throughout the night, but a lot of them missed the net completely, or the goaltender stepped up to make the save.
They had opportunities to set up plays, and again, the puck either missed the net or they lost possession because they held it too long. They lacked their usual energy for the majority of the night, and they looked like the more tired team despite the Devils being on the second half of a back-to-back. Even after they scored, they lacked the normal jump they usually have, and the Devils capitalized.
“Yeah, I agree, I just think we had some looks we just weren’t as sharp as we needed to be tonight whether it was the first period or through the game, did have some real quality looks but I think overall it wasn’t, we just weren’t sharp as we needed to be,” said head coach John Hynes about the missed chances throughout the game.
Wild’s Hartman Strong Tip & Good Penalty Kill
It was a rough game for the Wild as they couldn’t get much going in terms of energy or goals. However, they did have a handful of bright spots throughout the game that kept things going in the second period. Ryan Hartman had a great tip to tie the game in the second period off a Brock Faber shot. Hartman nearly had a second goal in the third period, but it hit the post at a crucial point in the game when the Wild could’ve attempted a possible comeback.
The other bright spot they can take away is that their penalty kill was solid against a team that was finding ways to score goals. They had two power plays at the end of the game, and scored on one to end the game courtesy of Marcus Foligno. On the other side, they took two penalties and killed them both off, and although Wallstedt didn’t have a great night, he was good on the kills.
“I think, today feel’s weird because you get slapped 5-2 but I think it’s been good and know we’re without Ekker (Eriksson Ek) a big piece and Bogo (Bogosian) too. I like the way we’ve been playing, I mean it was a tough road trip, we were successful on it and the way we’ve been playing in the last two months I feel like we’re in a good spot but these games tonight, we gotta make sure that we get our rest, I don’t know if it’s fatigue but definitely just gotta rest and get ready for Winnipeg,” said Foligno about how they’ve been playing.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 4-3 Overtime Loss to the Islanders
The Wild will remain at home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, Jan. 15, to finish up this quick homestand before they head out east for a quick three-game road trip. They’ll face the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montréal Canadiens.
