Wild lose at home to Blues as Quinn Hughes seeks rest

The Minnesota Wild fell 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues at home; Quinn Hughes had an assist and said his heavy travel and media schedule has left him needing rest.

The Minnesota Wild lost 3-1 at home to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. The game was the Wild's first at home since members of the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team were honored after winning gold in Milan. Pavel Buchnevich scored the late winner with 3:39 remaining, and Kirill Kaprizov scored the Wild's lone goal. Quinn Hughes assisted on Kaprizov's goal and said his busy travel and media schedule has left him needing rest. Key details: - Final score was 3-1 in favor of the Blues; Pavel Buchnevich scored the deciding goal with 3:39 left. - Kirill Kaprizov scored his 34th goal of the season and tied Marian Gaborik with 219 franchise goals. - Quinn Hughes recorded an assist on Kaprizov's goal, marking his fifth consecutive 60-point season, and described extensive travel since the Olympics. - The Wild have lost two of three games since the Olympic break. - Marcus Foligno was being evaluated for a lower-body issue and the team had no update on his timeline. - Coach John Hynes said the team needs to regain physicality on the forecheck. Summary: The loss followed a ceremonial night honoring Olympic gold medalists and underscored a post-break dip in physicality that the coach highlighted. Hughes's travel and media appearances were reported as contributing to his need for rest ahead of the Wild's next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Marcus Foligno's evaluation is ongoing and no timeline was provided.