Hughes Reaches 500 Points, Kaprizov Leads Wild Past Canucks in Milestone Return

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov scored his league-leading 13th goal of the season and added an assist, while defenseman Quinn Hughes notched a goal and an assist to reach the 500-point career mark, lifting the Wild to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

Hughes, who returned to Vancouver for the first time since being traded to Minnesota in a blockbuster deal on Dec. 12, 2025, became the second-fastest American defenseman in NHL history to reach 500 career points. Brian Leetch accomplished the feat in 496 games, while Hughes did it in 520.

Hughes, who was booed each time he touched the puck, picked up the milestone point during the game. Minnesota also got a goal and an assist from Maxim Shabanov, while Bobby Brink scored, moving the Wild two points ahead of the Utah Mammoth for first place in the Central Division.

Calvin Pickard made just his second start of the season and stopped 15 shots, earning his first win with the Wild.

Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver, and Leevi Merilainen finished with 30 saves, but the Canucks lost their 10th straight game (0-9-1).

Minnesota, playing the second game of a back-to-back after a 5-1 win at Seattle on Saturday night, took a 1-0 lead at the 18:33 mark of the first period on a power-play goal by Shabanov, who batted in a cross-crease pass from Kaprizov inside the right post for his third goal.

Brink extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second period when he took a pass from Michael McCarron at the top of the right circle, broke in, deked Merilainen and tucked a backhand shot inside the right post.

Hughes then picked up his milestone 500th career point on the power play, firing a shot inside the wide-open right side of the goal on a rebound of a Joel Eriksson Ek shot.

Hughes added career point No. 501 early in the third period when he found Kaprizov breaking down the middle of the ice between a pair of Canuck defenders. Kaprizov finished the rush with a backhand shot around Merilainen’s left pad to make it 4-0.

Sassan broke up the shutout at the 6:24 mark of the third period with a breakaway score off a long stretch pass by Filip Hronek.

Boeser cut the lead to 4-2 with 3:07 left when he snapped in a shot from the high slot for his third goal.

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