ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (19-9-5) defeated the Boston Bruins (19-14-0) 6-2 on Sunday night.

It was Quinn Hughes' Wild debut and boy did he ever shine.

Hughes, 26, lined up with Brock Faber as the Wild's top defense pair. It was ridiculous how well they played despite it being the first game together.

“I just think as I get the systems and understanding what we’re supposed to do closing guys off the rush, is the D supposed to go, is the forward supposed to go," Hughes said on playing with Faber. "But I think the more and more I play with Brock, we’re just going to continue to get better. I thought we were really good tonight but as we continue to read off each other and get to know each other, I think it’s going to be pretty special because he’s a fantastic player. So, it’s going to be exciting for me.”

That defense pair was on the ice for two goals for. Hughes picked up his first in a Wild sweater in that game and Faber had two assists in the win.

Faber played 23:55 and Hughes played 26:55, which led the team. Faber and Hughes each had three shots on goal.

I tracked some data from the game on Hughes and Faber and that pair was nuts off the rush.

As you can see from the data above, the Hughes and Faber pair shut offense down off the rush and really limited any chances. Hughes was on the ice for three shots off the rush and stopped 22 rush chances with no shots.

"I thought he and Brock were obviously a good pair," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Hughes. "Regardless of the situations he was in, he has that ability where he can make plays and he puts people – the thing with a puck-moving guy like him is he puts people in good spots. If they’re there, he’s gonna hit them. But also he can make some plays when he’s got puck support around him that allows things to be able to develop."

It was only one game but you can kind of see how elite this pair can become. Shutting down offense and transitioning to offense, this pair has a chance to be the best overall pair in the NHL.

"I mean it was good. Obviously, it’s gonna take a little more time; communication and, I think defensively kind of expecting different things. Obviously, it’s a new partner. He makes it real easy to be his D partner," Faber said on Hughes. "For me, I just need to learn to be outs for him and use my feet to keep up with him. I think we should be able to mesh really good together. I thought it was a great start. As a D partner of his, you can really do no wrong. How gifted of a skater and player he is. Great communicator too. So, it was a lot of fun to play with him."

The two of them are both young and American. They already looked like they were reading off of each other and as time goes on it will only get better.

Faber had his best game of the season on Sunday. He looked like a whole new player. There is no question Hughes played a factor in that.

"Yeah, I think so," Faber said on if Hughes took the pressure off him. "How good he is at breaking the puck out and using his feet, I think obviously it’s my job to be an option for him but playing with a guy of that caliber, you get caught in I feel like your zone a lot less because he’s able to break pucks out when he’s tired or when he’s 100 percent so easily. Obviously, no one’s perfect but I definitely think in that aspect it definitely takes pressure off everyone on the ice. That’s just what an all-star like that brings."

So as the season goes on, what out folks. This has the potential to be the best defense pair in the NHL in terms of shutting down offense and generating it.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

Quinn Hughes ‘Extremely Open-Minded’ About Future With Wild After First Night In Minnesota Hughes arrives in Minnesota, impressing immediately with his calm demeanor and on-ice performance, fueling excitement for his future with the Wild.

- 'We Want To Compete For The Stanley Cup': Why Bill Guerin Went All In.

- Wild Acquire Quinn Hughes From Vancouver For Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi And More.

- When The Ice Shrinks, The Wild's Game Is Built To Hold Up.

- 'Sometimes You Gotta Look Yourself In The Mirror': Matt Boldy's Message Has Now Become The Wild's Mantra.

- A Historic Start: Wild's Jesper Wallstedt Joins Nearly Century-Old Company With Record Rookie Surge.