BLOG: Foligno Ready to Battle with Blackhawks Again 

While the Chicago Blackhawks continue to navigate some injuries, one player shows some hope in a return on the team’s four-game road trip. 

Nick Foligno rejoined the team in practice on Sunday after he missed some time with a finger injury. With a few more games left until the NHL All-Star break, he is hopeful to get back in a game this week.  

“It's been good to get the rehab in and then get ready to get going with these guys, so you obviously want to be out there battling with them,” Foligno said.

Foligno sustained his injury back on Jan. 5 against the New Jersey Devils. The veteran forward went up against Devils’ defenseman Brendan Smith after his hit that also injured Connor Bedard.

After he skated on his own and rejoined some team skates, he noted that he felt comfortable rejoining the lineup. However, he also stated that he wanted to respect some of the chemistry some players created with the new changes they made over the last few weeks. 

“You want to get in the lineup, but you also want to respect the way the guys are playing, but hopefully I can sneak in there,” Foligno said. 

Head coach Luke Richardson also announced on Sunday that Folgino might be a game-time decision to see how the forward felt after morning skate. From there, the second-year coach trusts that Foligno will know that he is fully ready to compete. 

“We don't like being down in a game if someone's not ready and he's a veteran, he’ll know,” Richardson said. “So, it was good to see him on the ice practicing with the guys.”

Since his exit from the lineup, the team went 3-3-0 in that span and created some tough battles against top teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets despite the results. 

From there, the forward described the tough battle the team brought to some of those matchups and the fight they want to continue to bring through the next four games. With his return, he hopes to only add to it. 

“I just love our grit,” Foligno said. “I love the way we're just tenacious right now and we're playing hard. We're not giving any team an easy night, for the most part, and that's what I appreciate.”