As he previewed the Wild's upcoming matchup against the Jets after practice Friday, winger Marcus Foligno identified a strong start and a physical edge as what could help the team respond after suffering back-to-back losses.
That was exactly how the game played out Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, thanks in part to Foligno.
Not only did he score on his first shift, and the Wild's initial shot, but he set up the tying goal and racked up a game-high five hits to set the tone for a gritty, workmanlike 3-2 comeback victory in overtime.
"You can always talk the talk, but it's nice to walk it, too," Foligno said. "When you do say stuff like that, you gotta back it up. It's what I feel this year, how I've been playing. I feel that I can contribute a little bit more.
"We just need the emotion of this team. We're so good when we're emotionally involved, and you saw it tonight."
The two-point effort came amid a promotion from the fourth line to the third, and Foligno seemed to fit in immediately. After redirecting in a pass from center Joel Eriksson Ek just 1 minute, 12 seconds into the first period, Foligno was a wrecking ball — finishing the period with three hits.
"He's doing at this stage what every coach wants every player to do," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You move up in the lineup and show that you never want to go back down. That's the way he played. I thought that first goal might've been our prettiest goal of the year."
In the third, Foligno used a no-look drop pass to find winger Luke Kunin for the equalizer.