Quinn Hughes hits 500-point milestone as Minnesota Wild down Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at Rogers Arena

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Quinn Hughes reached the 500-point milestone in his first game back at Rogers Arena, and the Minnesota Wild rolled past the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Sunday.

Hughes scored in the second period to put Minnesota ahead 3-0, taking advantage of a power play at 12:55. From behind the net, he passed into the low slot to Joel Eriksson Ek, then went to the other side to collect the rebound and finish an open-net opportunity for his 500th point in his 520th NHL game.

The league’s milestone came after a series of crowd reactions at Rogers Arena, with Hughes booed whenever he touched the puck while receiving cheers during a first-period video tribute. Hughes also added an assist in the third period to reach 501 points, with the recap noting totals of 69 goals and 432 assists.

Minnesota’s scoring did not rest solely on the milestone marker. The Wild also got goals and an assist from Maxim Shabanov and Kirill Kaprizov, while Calvin Pickard earned his first win with the club, making 16 saves as Minnesota improved to 8-3-2.

The Wild entered the game having played back-to-back after a 5-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. According to the recap, Minnesota has been 6-2-1 in its past nine games.

Vancouver, meanwhile, struggled to slow Minnesota’s attack and fell to a 2-10-1 record, with the recap stating the Canucks have now lost 10 straight (0-9-1). Leevi Merilainen made 30 saves for Vancouver in the setback.

The game’s first goal came for Minnesota late in the opening frame. Shabanov scored at 18:33 of the first period on the power play, converting a cross-crease feed from Kaprizov. The recap describes the finish as tucking the puck just inside the post before Merilainen could get his right pad across.

After Minnesota built an early advantage, it extended the lead in the second period. Brink scored his first goal of the season at 5:54, benefiting from a turnover inside the blue line. The Wild then executed with speed, using a breakaway pass from Michael McCarron to the right face-off dot, where Brink faked Merilainen to the ice, deked around him, and tucked the puck in behind the Canucks goalie.

Hughes’ power-play goal gave Minnesota a commanding three-goal lead early in the second period’s scoring stretch. At 12:55, he finished a sequence that began with the Eriksson Ek pass from behind the net, turning the opportunity into the third straight tally for the Wild.

In the third period, the Wild pushed the lead further, helped by Hughes again. The recap says Hughes sent Kaprizov in alone with a breakaway pass that he finished with a deke to make it 4-0 at 3:38 of the third.

Vancouver did get back on the board in the third, but it could not close the gap. Max Sasson scored at 6:24 on a breakaway shot between Pickard’s pads to make it 4-1.

Brock Boeser scored the final Canucks goal at 16:53. The recap credits Boeser with a one-timer from the high slot to bring the score to 4-2, which ultimately held as the final.

Hughes’ milestone also carried added context within the game narrative. The recap notes he returned to Vancouver after being traded to the Wild on Dec. 12, 2025. In that deal, Minnesota received Hughes, while Vancouver acquired Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft used to select Adam Novotny at No. 24.

Before the contest, the matchup also featured Hughes’ drafting history with the Canucks. The recap says he was selected by Vancouver with the No. 7 pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, underscoring the significance of his return to Rogers Arena on Sunday.

With the Wild’s victory, Minnesota secured a win in a game shaped by special-teams impact and by Hughes’ milestone production, while the Canucks extended a difficult skid as they continue searching for consistency after their latest loss.