Marcus Foligno brings intensity to Wild’s revamped first line

NEWARK, N.J. – Marcus Foligno could have finished his check.

He did the previous game, crushing New Jersey’s Brian Dumoulin into the boards to tee up a fight with Johnathan Kovacevic.

“Everyone thought I was just going to go run him,” he said.

But Foligno pulled up on the Devils’ Brenden Dillon on Monday night at Prudential Center, and the call paid off: Dillion’s clear bounced off Foligno’s skate, and the puck flew right to Matt Boldy for a backhander that evened the score late in the third period and helped the Wild secure a point from a 3-2 shootout loss courtesy their new-look top line.

“When you see your name up there,” Foligno said, “you think, ‘I need to have a good game tonight.’ ”

Not a problem for Foligno.

The veteran winger and alternate captain has been a reliable catalyst for the Wild since returning from injury last week, including proving he was very much deserving of his promotion up the depth chart at the beginning of a road trip that continues Wednesday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.

“He’s someone I love to play with,” Boldy said. “Everyone knows when he’s on the ice. He’s such a presence on the forecheck. Big, strong, responsible. He’s going in there, he’s getting pucks back, turning it over. It leads to more zone time, more possession.

“He’s someone that he’s been doing it for so long, he knows what he’s doing, and someone that you’re happy to play with.”

His assist on the game-tying goal wasn’t Foligno’s only contribution.

The Wild could have capitalized much earlier, like during two second-period power plays drawn by Foligno; he was tripped by Kovacevic before Dumoulin held him during a breakaway that Foligno still almost completed behind goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Rather than clashing with the skill of first-liners Boldy and Marco Rossi, that strength complements it, with Foligno’s rugged style acting as playmaker for two of the Wild’s top goal scorers.

“They’re so good when it’s simple,” said Foligno, who has 12 goals and 13 assists in 70 games. “They get to do things when they get the puck in the O-zone, and then their magic hands can take over from there. It’s just the mindset of let me work, forecheck, just have that mentality of going after them and when we get a turnover, you can be as creative as you want.

“We’re very far from our net and we have a good chance with those guys on the ice to produce.”

This was only Foligno’s third game back from being hurt and missing almost two weeks, but he hasn’t missed a beat.

Instead, he’s hitting (or not hitting) all the right notes.

After skating 18 minutes in his return, the 4-2 win over Washington last Thursday, Foligno chipped in a goal, assist and fight for his fourth career Gordie Howe hat trick in the 5-2 loss to New Jersey at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday. A new address in the lineup didn’t faze him; the 18:45 he logged was a season high.

“Guys know when he’s out there,” Boldy said. “So, for him to have the wherewithal to kind of make that play was great. So, all credit to him.”

Since rejoining the action, Foligno has set the tone for the Wild’s situation.

They’re battling with St. Louis for wild-card seeding in the Western Conference, while Calgary and Vancouver are vying to close the gap, and the 33-year-old Foligno is playing with the urgency and attentiveness indicative of this playoff race; he’s physical, which sparked the home crowd Saturday, and he’s making smart decisions — like on Boldy’s late-game equalizer.

“I’m learning a little bit to slow down myself,” said Foligno, whose 231 hits are the 10th-most in the NHL. “Can’t be crashing the boards every game.”

Add in his defensive prowess, which also ranks Foligno among the best at the forward position, and his proficiency on the penalty kill, and the timing couldn’t be better for Foligno to have this kind of impact.

After all, special teams and rough stuff get magnified in the playoffs, giving Foligno an opportunity to be a difference-maker.

Based on his recent performance, he already is.

“I’m liking the way I’m playing,” he said. “I think it’s just back to simple and straightforward and physical, and that’s how I have to be. It’s the best time of year to be at the top of my game.”