Wild-Devils ‘Hughes Bowl’ sees Jack and Luke beat Quinn again as three brothers make history

Jack Hughes knew his older brother would be frustrated.

They had just finished the third rendition of the “Hughes Bowl” and first since Quinn Hughes was traded to the Wild from Vancouver. But subbing a new team into the showdown didn’t snap Jack and Luke’s reign with New Jersey, as the two improved to 3-0 when facing off against Quinn.

“But,” Jack Hughes said, “[the Wild are] probably playing tomorrow [or] the next day. So, they got to regroup and just gear up again. I know they’ve played great hockey since he got there — and even before he was there.

“So, they’ll keep it going.”

But it wasn’t just the loss to his brothers that was on Quinn Hughes’ mind.

Sure, he wanted to win a game as unique as this: The first American family to have three first-round NHL draft picks was also the first to have three brothers play in three games together. That’s one more than Minnesotans Neal, Paul and Aaron Broten, who squared off twice in 1990 when Neal and Aaron were with the North Stars and Paul suited up for the Rangers.

No, what Quinn was also focused on was the Wild suffering their second straight loss after getting dumped 5-2 by the Devils at Grand Casino Arena.

Quinn, 26, was the seventh pick in 2018 by Vancouver; Luke, 22, was taken fourth overall by the Devils in 2021; and Jack, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft.

Although they’ve barely crossed over to the second half, it does feel like the Wild are in the dog days of their season.

Two losses in a row, one of which came in overtime, isn’t a reason to sound the alarm bells, but this is the Wild’s second two-game lull in their last five games. Both are probably indicative of the schedule, with the first coming during a rare two-game set on the road vs. Los Angeles and the second the Wild’s return home from that seven-game, 14-day trek.

“That was a tough road trip,” alternate captain Marcus Foligno said. “We were successful on it, and the way we’ve been playing the last two months, I feel like we’re in a good spot. But we gotta make sure that we get our rest. I don’t know if it’s fatigue. But definitely get our rest and get ready for Winnipeg.”

It’s been a month since the Wild shocked the NHL by acquiring Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a stunning trade, and the Wild have unequivocally bolstered their elite status with him on the ice.

The Wild’s offense has surged under Hughes’ playmaking.

Before the trade, the Wild averaged 2.81 goals per game. After, they’re up to 3.63, with as many games scoring five or more goals with him in action (six) as they had in 32 games before he joined the lineup.

But what their recent losses have in common is blown opportunities: Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy combined for 21 shots vs. the New York Islanders on Jan. 10, but Hughes’ three assists and a goal apiece for Kaprizov and Boldy weren’t enough to overcome the Islanders, who won 4-3 in overtime.

Against the Devils, Hughes had just as many shots hit the net (five) as he had blocked and miss. Kaprizov and Boldy had one shot each and seven total attempts blocked. Boldy’s four misses were tops in the game.

“We know that percentagewise you get chances [that] some are going to go in [and] some aren’t,” said Hughes, who has 16 points in 15 games with the Wild. “Sometimes some that you don’t deserve go in, and sometimes the ones that you think should have went don’t.”

“He’s got … college friends in Minnesota. A couple of our cousins live here,” Jack said. “So, it’s a good fit for him. Honestly, great for him to be back in the States.”

The calendar will eventually ease up for some, with a timeout for the Olympics only 11 games away. But that won’t be a reprieve for Quinn Hughes, who’s on Team USA.

Instead, he sees a runway.