Takeaways: Quinn Hughes’ four assists power Wild past Ducks 5-2

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – The Ducks couldn’t take advantage when Quinn Hughes didn’t have a stick, but their night was much worse when he did.

Hughes had his breakout game with the Wild on Friday night, Jan. 2, setting up four goals in a 5-2 rout of Anaheim at Honda Center that continued the Wild’s dominance against the Ducks.

“I’m just shooting the puck a little bit more today and not being as passive and kind of just playing the way I probably would the last couple years,” Hughes said.

The defenseman put in motion goals for Kirill Kaprizov (on the power play), Danila Yurov (double deflection and redirect) and Yakov Trenin (one-timer).

Not only did Hughes match his career high for assists in a game, which he has accomplished three other times, but he set a franchise record for most assists by a Wild defenseman in a game. His four points also tied the team record for a defenseman.

In 10 games since coming over from Vancouver in last month’s blockbuster trade, Hughes has 11 points, the most by a defenseman in his first 10 games with the Wild, and the Wild are 7-1-2 with him in their lineup.

Overall, Hughes is third among NHL defensemen in assists (31) and sixth in scoring with 34 points.

Filip Gustavsson stopped 26 shots — including denying a 3-on-1 in the first period against a stick-less Hughes — to improve to 5-0 in his career at Anaheim and 6-1 overall.

“He didn’t have a stick?” Gustavsson asked. “I didn’t notice.”

The Wild have won seven in a row over the Ducks and have been victorious in 20 of the last 21 matchups.

“It’s warm. It’s more humid. The gear feels good here,” Gustavsson said, “and it’s just nice playing here.”

Anaheim had the edge early in pressure, but the Wild had better execution.

Then in the second, Hughes threw another puck toward the net, but this time his shot hit Trenin’s before bouncing in off Yurov’s right skate at 8:10, Hughes heeding the advice of his mom Ellen.

“She’s always telling me to shoot,” he said.

The Ducks didn’t disappear and after Gustavsson made a pair of right pad saves against Beckett Sennecke on Anaheim’s only power play, Sennecke finally connected at 13:46 off a faceoff.

Cue Hughes.

On his next shift, he returned a pass to Trenin, whose one-timer from the right circle trickled through Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal only 59 seconds after Senneck’s goal.

But Hughes wasn’t done.

Just 3:21 into the third period, Hughes hurled another puck toward the net, and Yurov again was the beneficiary, tipping in his sixth goal for his first career two-goal game.

“It’s lucky for me,”Yurov said, but Hynes chalked up the goals to Yurov being in the right spot. “Obviously, Hughes made a couple nice shots,” Hynes explained. “When you’re in that scoring area, which he got to tonight, it was good to see him get rewarded for it.”

Hughes’ four career four-assist games are tied with Phil Housley for the fourth most by an American defenseman in NHL history; only Gary Suter (eight), Chris Chelios (six) and Brian Leetch (six) have more.

Nico Sturm added his third goal of the season at 15:02 before Troy Terry lifted in a second for Anaheim with 2:33 to go.

BOXSCORE: Wild 5, Anaheim 2

NHL standings

Hughes’ 11 points since joining the Wild rank second in scoring among NHL defensemen.

Hughes’ playmaking was on point, the 26-year-old showing exactly why the Wild acquired him on Dec. 12 for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-round draft pick.

He has a knack for finding an open lane and then exploiting it with a release that gets the puck to a spot where offense can happen, which is how he spearheaded three net-front goals for the Wild.

They are 3-0-1 going into the last half of their season-long road trip.

“Not too high. Not too low,” Trenin said. “Just stay present.”