The youngest Foligno brother talks about his first playoff goal, his friendly rivalry with his brother Nick, and how their famous father cheers for both of them (even though they play in different conferences)

Sudbury’s Marcus Foligno, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno and son of NHL stalwart Mike Foligno, is as close to hockey royalty in Sudbury as you can get. He chats with sportswriter Mike Commito about his first foray into postseason play. (Bruce Kluckhohn/Minnesota Wild)

1 / 1 Sudbury’s Marcus Foligno, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno and son of NHL stalwart Mike Foligno, is as close to hockey royalty in Sudbury as you can get. He chats with sportswriter Mike Commito about his first foray into postseason play. (Bruce Kluckhohn/Minnesota Wild)

For the first time in his career, Marcus Foligno is competing for the Stanley Cup. After spending the past five seasons in Buffalo, in which the Sabres never qualified for the playoffs, Foligno was traded to the Minnesota Wild on June 30, 2017, and now has the opportunity to take to the ice on the game’s biggest stage.

To say the Sudbury native hasn’t made the most of his time in the postseason so far would be an understatement.

“It’s been unbelievable,” he told Sudbury.com by telephone. “It’s a dream come true to be in the NHL, but to be in the NHL and play for the Stanley Cup is incredible.”

The experience is almost too difficult for him to put into words.

“The energy, everything’s magnified. The intensity of the games and the feeling that you get, it’s actually something that you can’t really explain,” Foligno said.

“The emotions in every game. Your body’s in shock when you play in these games. Every game means so much and every shift counts.”

Although he’s waited a long while for this moment, Foligno has certainly made up for lost time. Not only is he part of one of the most passionate hockey markets in the United States, but the Wild are also taking on the Jets in their first-round matchup, another rabid fan base and home to the “Winnipeg Whiteout.”

Starting the series on the road, Foligno has had the chance to see and hear firsthand just how loud and loyal the Jets’ faithful truly are. Although it was an exciting experience for him, even as a member of the opposing bench, his team dropped both games.

Coming home to Minnesota, however, the Wild had the chance to climb back into the series. They didn’t disappoint. Despite surrendering the first goal to the Jets early into the game, the Wild stormed back to head into intermission with a lead.

After Minnesota defenceman Matt Dumba opened the scoring to start the second frame, the Wild potted three more goals to put the contest out of reach. The last goal in that offensive outburst came from Foligno, his first postseason tally.

“It’s good to get that one out of the way and hopefully there’s more to come. It’s good to get your first career playoff goal, but you can’t stop there. You want more,” he said.

Although Foligno said he and his teammates were feeling pretty loose at the optional skate on Monday morning following the big victory, he knows they still have plenty of work to do if they hope to even the series on Tuesday evening (tonight).

“We have to do the same stuff we did last game. Our forecheck has to keep doing what we did last game. I thought we turned over a lot of pucks in the neutral zone that forced them and we skated a lot of pucks in,” he said.

Foligno also noted that he thinks the Wild need to keep putting pressure on Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

“I think we did a good job on him screening pucks and he couldn’t see some. We just need to keep peppering their goalie and really go to the net and try to bury our second chances,” he said.

The style of play certainly paid off for Foligno on Sunday evening. After missing on a shot from close range, the Wild winger quickly circled back to the net and banged in a rebound just off to the right of the crease to notch his milestone goal. Foligno’s goal seemingly ended the Winnipeg netminder’s night. Although Hellebucyk finished the period, Steve Mason drew in for the final frame as the weary Jets lost 6-2.

While it was a big night for Marcus, it was an even bigger night for the Folignos. Over in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, his brother, Nick, and the Blue Jackets took a commanding 2-0 lead in their series against the Capitals, winning their second straight game in overtime.

Although Nick didn’t score on the same night as Marcus, the Columbus captain has been instrumental in the series, even sacrificing his face while blocking a shot in Game 1, a move that Marcus reportedly made sure to tell his big brother was “idiotic.” In the second contest, however, Nick got on the score sheet, setting up a Cam Atkinson goal that closed the Blue Jackets’ deficit to one.

But now the pressure’s on for Nick. His last postseason marker was on April 28, 2014, and with Marcus getting his first under his belt, he’s now only three back from matching his older brother’s career output. When asked if he thought Nick was sweating at the thought of being caught, Marcus just laughed.

“I’m sure he’s always worried that his young brother is catching him. I’m sure that will help him increase his goal total. I hope it does, but if I can catch him that would be great,” he said.

Having his older brother in the playoffs at the same time as him has been a great feeling for Marcus. They text and call each other whenever they can and when the schedule allows, they even get to watch each other’s games. While the Foligno brothers are glad to be experiencing the postseason together and share in each other’s successes, no one is happier about than their father, Mike.

“He’s so excited and happy that we’re both doing well and that we’re both in the playoffs and playing in April,” Marcus said. Over the course of 57 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Buffalo and Toronto, Mike racked up 15 goals, so it’s safe to say he will hold onto the family lead in postseason goals for a while.

With his sons playing in different conferences, it’s been easy for Mike to split his allegiances and cheer for both. But what happens if Minnesota and Columbus squared off in the Stanley Cup Final?

“I think he would be just fine,” Marcus chuckled. “He’d start planning the party back home, but I’m sure he wouldn’t pick the colours of the jersey just yet,” he said.

Before the Folignos can dream about facing off to capture Lord Stanley’s mug, Marcus and the Wild will need to even their series against the Jets. Game four of their first round series goes Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

Mike Commito is a hockey historian and writer from Sudbury. His work has appeared in Sportsnet, VICE Sports, and the Athletic. Mike’s first book, Hockey 365: Daily Stories From the Ice, hits shelves on September 22, 2018. Follow him on Twitter @mikecommito.