Quinn Hughes and Jared Spurgeon have done something no defense pairing in NHL history had managed before: through the first five games of a season, they both have simultaneous season-opening point streaks of five games.
That mark gives the Minnesota Wild a slice of league history, and it also gives the club a new franchise standard. Hughes and Spurgeon had already matched Ryan Suter’s Wild record for the longest season-opening point streak by a defenseman, sitting at four games. Now they’ve pushed it one step further.
What makes it stand out even more is that these two weren’t supposed to be the expected answer together on the blue line to start the year. But with Minnesota dealing with injuries, the pairing has become a stabilizing force.
Losing Faber, one of the team’s most important defensemen, could have created real trouble early on. Instead, Hughes and Spurgeon have helped steady the group while adding offense along the way.
Hughes has kept doing what he does best, driving play with his skating, vision and puck movement. Spurgeon has brought the dependable defensive presence and leadership that have long been his calling card in Minnesota.
They’ve already had a few notable moments together, including Minnesota’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Oct. 3.
In that game, Hughes had a goal and an assist, Spurgeon scored his first goal of the season, and Hughes picked up an assist on Spurgeon’s tally. That helper also made Hughes the fastest player in Wild history to reach 50 assists with the franchise, doing it in 50 games.
For a Minnesota team working through injuries early in the season, that kind of production from the top pairing has mattered. The Wild still hope to get Faber back sooner rather than later, but Hughes and Spurgeon have already shown they can handle the job in his absence.
Five games in, they haven’t just kept Minnesota afloat on the back end. They’ve made history while doing it.
In Other News...
Wild Face Early Test Against One Of The NHLs Hottest Teams
The Wild get an early measuring-stick night Monday when they meet the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that has been rolling into St. Paul with plenty of attention and a reputation for being one of the leagues toughest outs. Minnesota enters the matchup with a favorable computer projection, and the rest of the pregame read paints a picture of two clubs being weighed against each other through recent form, trends and broader team metrics.
For Minnesota, it is the kind of game that can say plenty about where the group stands this season, even before the standings settle in. Vegas brings the hotter overall profile, but the Wild have enough going for them on the numbers side to make this feel like more than a simple test of survival, especially with bettors and analysts already digging into the matchup details and looking for an edge. [Read more 🡒]