Quinn Hughes takes a massive hit tonight and the reaction is going viral

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Vincent Carbonneau
May 13, 2026  (10:31 PM)

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Quinn Hughes gave the Wild a scare, but Minnesota's star player stayed in after Ross Colton drilled him along the boards.

That's the part that matters most here. The hit looked nasty on the clip, and the first reaction was obvious: was Hughes done for the night. The answer, at least in that moment, was no.

Colton came through with force and finished the play hard enough to turn it into one of the night's instant talking points. It was the kind of collision that freezes both benches for a beat.

The score only added more juice. Minnesota was up 3-1 after the second period, so every shift already carried extra weight before that sequence started making the rounds online.

Hughes got driven hard into the wall, popped back up, and stayed in it, which changed the whole mood around the play.

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For the Wild, that's why Hughes getting back up mattered so much. When your top defenseman takes that kind of contact, the entire bench watches to see what comes next.

That's also why the clip spread so fast. Fans weren't reacting to a routine playoff bump. They were reacting to a star defenseman getting planted hard enough to raise real concern.

Ross Colton's side of it will still get debated, because heavy contact on a vulnerable player always does. But the biggest outcome from Minnesota's side was simple: Hughes stayed out there.

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If Hughes had gone straight down the tunnel, this turns into a much darker story in a hurry. Instead, the angle shifted from possible loss to immediate response.

That doesn't make the hit any softer. It just means Minnesota avoided the worst-case scenario in the moment, and that's a massive swing in a playoff game.

With the Wild already holding a 3-1 edge after 40 minutes, losing Hughes there would've changed the bench, the blue line, and probably the rest of the night.

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Instead, Minnesota got the best possible sign. Hughes absorbed a violent sequence, stayed in the game, and kept the focus on the result instead of a possible injury.

That doesn't erase the hit. It just means the Wild came out of it without the kind of damage that can flip a series in one shift.

Previously

A controversial scene in Colorado is suddenly going viral for all the wrong reasons

This reported Sedins decision could reshape the Canucks organization

A Connor McDavid update has Oilers fans fearing the worst

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1 HOUR AGO   |   44 ANSWERS Quinn Hughes takes a massive hit tonight and the reaction is going viral Was Ross Colton's hit on Quinn Hughes over the line ?

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