Getting benched in Game 7 ‘will never sit right’ with former Bruins forward
Nick Foligno did a complete 180 from the 2021-22 NHL season with the Bruins and was playing some of his best hockey before his injury. When he was cleared to return to the playoffs, he saw action in the first six games against the Panthers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But when must-win Game 7 rolled around, Foligno — who had three points in the first six games — wasn’t in the lineup.
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“That’s something you don’t prepare yourself for, or even think is gonna happen,” Foligno said during his appearance on “The Cam & Strick” podcast. “I mean that’s something Monty (coach Jim Montgomery) and I discussed — and I’ll keep that private — but it didn’t sit well with me. I think he knows that. It never will. When you’re a competitor, this is the time of year you play for. That one didn’t really sit well and never will.
“That was hard, especially to see your team go out there and play and you’re dying to be a part of it. Its’s just one of those games — it’s do or die — so those are the ones you dream about and expect to be on the ice for,” he added. “It’s unfortunate it happened, but that’s something that I’ve come to peace with it, at least in talking to Monty about it. We’ve moved on, but it’s something that I hope to never have happen again.”
The bottom-six forward suffered a lower-body injury on Feb. 28 against the Calgary Flames after a collision along the boards. He missed the remainder of the regular season but returned for the first round of the playoffs and appeared in Games 1-6.
With injures to Foligno, Taylor Hall and Derek Forbort, general manager Don Sweeney went out and acquired Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi at the trade deadline — going all in in hopes to win the Stanley Cup. There was a logjam when Foligno and Hall returned. But despite being in the lineup for the first six games, Montgomery made a change to his forward lines.
And Foligno was forced to watch from the ninth floor at TD Garden as the Bruins’ historic season came to a crushing end in an overtime loss in Game 7.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t get the job done,” Foligno said. “It’s gut-wrenching because we had probably the best team I’ll ever play on — or maybe ever. I give Sweens a ton of credit. We had one of the best teams I think you’re gonna see in a long time, the way it was assembled. The depth and the overall look of our group, we just had no weaknesses and it’s mind-blowing that we didn’t get it done.”
Foligno’s rights, along with Hall, were traded Blackhawks in June as part of a move to help clear salary cap space for the Bruins. Foligno signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Chicago for the upcoming season.
It won’t take long for Foligno to reunite with his former Bruins team. The Black and Gold welcome the Blackhawks to TD Garden on Oct. 11 to open the 2023-24 campaign.
