Takeaways: Wild rout Bruins 6-2 as Quinn Hughes scores in successful debut

Brock Faber thought watching new Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes from the bench might be just as much fun as playing with him.

“The way he skates is like something I’ve never seen before,” Faber said.

Hughes’ sleek stride, crafty hands and star pedigree were all on display in his Wild debut Sunday night, and the Wild didn’t miss a beat welcoming Hughes into their lineup after trading for him Friday: Hughes scored, and the Wild creamed the Boston Bruins 6-2 at Grand Casino Arena for their fourth consecutive victory.

“Everyone’s cheering when he was out on the ice there,” goaltender Filip Gustavsson said. “It felt a little bit like we had a little more swagger out there.”

Captain Jared Spurgeon (power play), Kirill Kaprizov (team-leading 19th and 20th goals), Ryan Hartman (second goal in as many games) and Matt Boldy (18th) supplied the other goals, but it was Faber who appeared to benefit most from Hughes’ arrival.

The two were together as the Wild’s top defensive duo, but it was Faber’s smooth transition to offense (à la Hughes) that was most impressive. Faber was on the ice for four Wild goals, assisting on two on the power play and getting off one shot that forced Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman into one of the toughest of his 25 saves; Gustavsson stopped 29.

“The more and more I play with Brock, we’re just going to continue to get better,” Hughes said. “I thought we were really good tonight, but as we continue to read off each other and get to know each other, I think it’s going to be pretty special because he’s a fantastic player.

At 19-9-5, the Wild are fourth in the NHL. They are on a 12-game point streak at home, going 10-0-2 in St. Paul since Nov. 1.

Faber found out the Wild acquired Hughes from Vancouver for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-round draft pick Friday evening because his friends were texting him while he was making dinner.

“My buddies were joking that they’re mad because I’m not going to be on the first power play anymore,” Faber said.

But he fit right in on the second unit, handing off to Spurgeon for a wrister on the power play 10 minutes, 11 seconds into the first period.

“I’m sure they’ve already texted me,” Faber said. “No, I’m happy to be back there, for sure.”

He exited after fanning on a 2-on-1 shot, and David Jiricek also didn’t play after getting boarded late in the third. Coach John Hynes didn’t have an update on either player.

But already missing a handful of key players, the Wild kept rolling.

Boldy’s shot was deflected into the boards by Hampus Lindholm, and Kaprizov pounced on the rebound, quickly backhanding it behind Swayman at 8:49.

Faber had the play of the night, dashing into Bruins territory on the power play and splitting the defense before passing over to Hartman for the one-time finish

“When you’re skating it like that, especially at that speed, you don’t really expect for a play like that to open up,” Faber said. “But kind of seam just parted, and it was pretty easy from there. Hartzy with a great finish, too.”

“That’s what separates the games,” Gustavsson said.

Then 54 seconds into the third period, Hughes walked into open ice and uncorked a shot that went through Swayman for his first goal with the Wild and third this season.

Boldy continued the rout, collecting his own rebound and banking in a shot off the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy at 8:08.

Boston spoiled Gustavsson’s shutout bid 2:50 later on a shot by Alex Steeves through traffic before Kaprizov capitalized on a delayed Bruins penalty with 5:05 to go for his third point of the game after he assisted on Boldy’s tally.

Kaprizov, who has eight goals in six career games vs. Boston, tied Mikko Koivu for the second-most goals in Wild history at 205. Marian Gaborik is first at 219.

The Bruins’ Andrew Peeke snuck in a last-second goal.

“It’s very calming and relaxing when they score six goals out there and put on a show,” Gustavsson said.

Hughes had six shot attempts while logging a game-high 26:55 in ice time.

BOXSCORE: Wild 6, Boston 2

NHL standings

Case in point: Faber’s performance.

Like the Wild, he has been locked in for weeks after a tough start but was a natural complement to Hughes, whose offensive style seemed to encourage Faber to showcase his own skills.

“The way he skates, it almost forces his partner to be an option in the offensive areas,” Faber said. “I think there was some to clean up defensively on my end. But I thought it was a great start. It’s very easy to be his ‘D’ partner.”

The newest Canucks also had a solid debut earlier in the day, with Buium picking up a goal and assist in a 2-1 victory at New Jersey, but Hughes had more hype to live up to and he didn’t disappoint.

Neither did the Wild.