Wild beat Canucks 4-2 as Hughes returns to Vancouver

VANCOUVER: The Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at Rogers Arena on Sunday night, in a game that doubled as defenceman Quinn Hughes’s first return to the city where he was captain.

Calvin Pickard got the win in goal for Minnesota, which improved to 8-3-2. Vancouver goaltender Leevi Merilainen took the loss, and the Canucks fell to 2-10-1, according to a game report from the North Delta Reporter.

Maxim Shabanov opened the scoring on the power play late in the first period, and Bobby Brink made it 2-0 early in the second. Hughes, who was acquired by Minnesota from Vancouver on Dec. 12, 2025, then scored on the power play from a rebound, a goal the North Delta Reporter said was his 500th NHL point. Live game data from Covers.com had the Wild up 2-0 through the middle of the second period.

Kirill Kaprizov scored his 13th of the season on a breakaway early in the third, with Hughes credited with the setup. Max Sasson answered for the Canucks on a breakaway at 6:24 of the third, and Brock Boeser pulled Vancouver within a goal from the slot before the closing minutes, but the Canucks could not find an equalizer. Minnesota went 2-for-5 on the power play; Vancouver was 0-for-1.

Vancouver outshot Minnesota 10-5 in the first period before the Wild took over the second, per the North Delta Reporter. Merilainen stopped 30 of 34 shots.

Hughes was booed and chanted at during his first appearance back in Vancouver. A tribute video drew a mix of cheers and boos, and he raised his stick to the crowd. Before the game, CBS Sports quoted Hughes as saying a rough reception “won’t affect how I feel about Vancouver,” and he expressed gratitude for his six and a half years with the club. He had 432 points in 459 games as a Canuck and won the Norris Trophy in 2024.

The loss was another setback for a Canucks team that has struggled all season. Vancouver recently dropped a 6-3 decision to the Hurricanes and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers. The Canucks host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Some details, including assists on several goals, were not consistent across sources and are not included.