Takeaways: Wild’s Quinn Hughes subdued in first game against Canucks

In the first game he ever played against the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes was understated.

Nearly four months since his trade to the Minnesota Wild, the Canucks’ ex-captain had only one point and was plus-four Thursday as his new team beat his old one 5-2 in St. Paul, Minn. At five-on-five, shots were 20-10 for the Wild, and scoring chances 14-8 when Hughes was on the ice. He finished with 24:48 of playing time.

That would be a career game for some defenders but considering Hughes’ dynamic capabilities and dominance with the puck, he was quiet.

With two goals, three points and six shots, Matt Boldy was the big star for Minnesota on Thursday. Ryan Hartman also scored twice and Kirill Kaprizov hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in five seasons as the Wild pulled away from the Canucks, who were playing the second of challenging back-to-back games after stunning the National Hockey League-leading Colorado Avalanche 8-6 on Wednesday.

The Wild had been resting and practising since Saturday.

Unlike with the needy Canucks, the Wild don’t require Hughes to launch 12 shots per game, be a one-man breakout and challenge defenders one-on-one on each possession in order to generate offence. They just need him to skate and pass and be himself.

Hughes’ first game against his former teammates was subdued. And in a post-game interview with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy, so was he.

“Yeah, I mean, definitely a little weird,” Hughes said of facing the Canucks, with whom he shattered all franchise scoring records by a defenceman during his 6 ½ seasons. “But I think that, you know, you move on and I’m happy to be here right now. Probably being in Vancouver would be a little bit weirder than this. But yeah, like I said, it was nice that we got the win, and we have a big weekend coming up.”

With the Wild pretty much locked into a first-round heavyweight tilt against the Dallas Stars, Hughes made it clear his focus is already shifting to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something he experienced only twice with the Canucks.

The Canucks’ focus, since the moment they traded him to the Wild on Dec. 12 for three talented, younger players and a first-round draft pick, has been on a rebuild.

To that end, players reluctantly guaranteed the franchise the best draft-lottery odds by clinching 32nd place with seven games remaining.

At 22-45-8, the Canucks are 16 points behind the next poorest team and incapable of climbing out of last place overall. Despite a lot of lean seasons in their 56-year history, the Canucks have never finished at the bottom of the NHL standings. The Wild are 44 points ahead and clinched a Western Conference playoff spot with their win.

For the Canucks, although there was a sobering finality to their freefall with yet another loss, there was certainly no shame in Thursday’s performance.

Despite the difficult early-morning arrival in the Twin Cities after the post-game charter across time zones from Denver — and playing their third road game in four nights against Stanley Cup contenders — the Canucks actually led 2-1 after the first period.

But the Wild took over the game in the second period and directly capitalized on unforced errors by young defenceman Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson (Junior). Still, down 4-2, the Canucks had their goalie out and sustained offensive-zone pressure late in the game before Hartman iced it with an empty-netter.

“We competed,” coach Adam Foote told reporters in Minnesota. “(The Wild are) a big heavy playoff team built to go. They’ve got some explosive offensive players, but powerful as well, and they’re just heavy throughout. And I thought the guys competed to the wire with them. I really thought we played hard and didn’t back down.”

Tom Willander and Jake DeBrusk scored goals for the Canucks, who play home games Saturday against Utah and Tuesday against Vegas before travelling again for a three-game tour of California.

TOLO TIME

Hooked in his last start after surrendering four goals on 11 shots Saturday in Calgary, minor-league callup Nikita Tolopilo was probably the best Canuck, finishing with 34 saves and little culpability on the four goals that beat him, which were: breakaway, breakaway, backside one-timer from a cross-ice pass, and a tip from the top of the crease.

A lot of people have been clamouring for more starts for Tolopilo. But the Canucks have so much invested in Kevin Lankinen, and badly need him to build back his game and some confidence heading into the summer, that Foote’s decision to lean heavily on his NHL veteran really shouldn’t be surprising.

But Tolopilo makes it harder on Foote when he plays like he did Thursday. In five starts in March, the undrafted 25-year-old was beaten 21 times on 123 shots for a save percentage of .829. April has started better. With seven Canuck games left, Tolopilo should get at least a couple of more starts.

IN-DEFENSIBLE

Mistakes have been part of the learning curve all season for the Canucks’ young defencemen. In Minnesota, Buium whiffed on the puck on one goal and Pettersson passed it straight to the opposition before another. And as television analyst Ray Ferraro superbly broke down for Sportsnet viewers, Willander was far too passive in allowing Hartman to stand uncontested in front of him to tip in the Wild’s fourth goal. The first Minnesota goal came from a giveaway by experienced defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, so it’s not only the young guys who make mistakes.

But they’ve got to learn. Especially in the defensive zone. They’ve got to box out and, as Ferraro said, make opposition forwards uncomfortable in front of the Vancouver net. 

Hughes was excellent with the puck from the day he stepped into the NHL from college — as Willander and Buium have done — but didn’t become an elite defenceman until he started devoting his summers to improving the defensive side of his game. This is hockey.

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BETTING ON BUSTER

Canuck enforcer Curtis Douglas thought he’d scored in Calgary but the goal was ruled off upon review due to a whistle. In Colorado, the six-foot-nine winger had a mind-blowing five shots on net (and three hits) in 6:18 of ice time. Imagine if he’d played 16 minutes. And Douglas was noticeable again in Minnesota, with one shot and two other attempts in 8:44 of TOI.

The 26-year-old waiver pickup has now logged 38 NHL games with no goals (and nine fights). Douglas scored 57 times over his final two seasons of junior hockey in Windsor and his shooter instincts are still evident. We’re predicting Douglas will have an NHL goal before this season is over.

LINEUP CHANGES

Douglas, of course, needs to play and the Canuck lineup got a little more crowded Thursday with the recall from the minors of centre prospect Ty Mueller, who wasn’t scored against during his 9:55 of playing time against the Wild. . . Nils Hoglander came out of the lineup — again — to make room for him while a highly motivated Aatu Raty was moved to the wing and registered four hits in 12:03 of ice time. The Canucks’ faceoff ace, Raty still took draws and went 11-3. . . Rested the last two contests after managing an injury while making it to 1,000 games in the NHL, winger Evander Kane is expected back in the lineup on Saturday so his achievement can be honoured by the Canucks before the faceoff against the Mammoth.

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