Marcus, the younger Foligno brother, scored the game-winner in the third period and fought in the second. Nick Foligno connected in the second period to tie it.
Marcus Foligno scored on a nifty tip-in midway through the third period to break a tie and the Minnesota Wild held on to edge the Chicago Blackhawks and Foligno's older brother Nick, 2-1 on Wednesday.
Nick Foligno scored his 10th goal with 6:16 left in the second to tie the game at 1. That ended the Blackhawks' goal-less span of 173 minutes and 5 seconds.
Chicago still lost its fifth straight overall and 11th in a row to Minnesota, dating to Feb. 4, 2020.
The Blackhawks have scored just 11 goals in their last 11 games, going 2-9-0 in the span without Connor Bedard to land in last place in the NHL.
Once again, Chicago couldn't bury several prime chances at key moments. The Hawks misfired around the net or didn't bear down against Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson, who stopped 20 shots.
"Unfortunately we've been in that position too much," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. "We created a few opportunities, but as we know right now, it's hard to score and it didn't go in for us."
Foligno vs Foligno
It was the first time the two Foligno brothers, the son of former NHLer Mike Foligno, scored in the same regular-season game. They've faced each other 24 times in league contests.
So was 36-year-old Nick going to give 32-year-old Marcus an extra brotherly slap for...
"The game winner," Nick said. "It sucks. So I heard he's got the record right now against me too, so we'll have to fix that.
"It's kind of cool for our family. I haven't seen anything, I'm sure they're happy. I'm pissed off, but my extended family..." See the following video.
Marcus deflected in Vinni Lettieri's cross-ice feed for the game-winner after Chicago's Lukas Reichel couldn't clear the puck. Lettieri skated in his first game since Dec. 30 due to a lower-body injury.
Nick Foligno Ends Drought
Nick Foligno's goal was Chicago's first in three games and since the Blackhawks de facto captain connected during a power play 39 seconds into the third period of a 6-2 loss at Seattle on Jan. 24. The Blackhawks went on to be shut out in Edmonton and Calgary in their final two games before their bye week and the NHL All-Star break.
Driving to the net, Foligno popped in a nifty flip-feed from Philipp Kurashev from across the crease to complete a short 2-on-1 break.
Chicago entered having been being shut out in three of its previous four games, and was blanked in four of its previous six.
Game Flow
Minnesota dominated the first period, outshooting the Blackhawks 11-1 and peppering Petr Mrazek with tough chances.
Only one went in. Jacob Lucchini scored his first goal of the season — and second of his career — on a one-timer from the slot at 12:27 and a goal that bounced off the web cam in the back of the net.
Nick Foligno tied it in the second.
Gustavsson denied Boris Katchouk on a breakaway 3:50 into the third with with a left skate save.
Then Marcus Foligno's ninth goal put Minnesota ahead.
With Gustavsson out of position, Lettieri blocked Colin Blackwell's shot with about 3 minutes left.
Foligno Fighters + Tinordi
Marcus Foligno plowed to the Chicago net and rammed Mrazek at 5:43 of the first. Mrazek stayed down on the ice for about a minute and Foligno was sent off for goaltender interference.
Nick Foligno, who has filled in as enforcer from time to time, didn't fight his brother later in the game in response.
But rugged Chicago defenseman Jarred Tinordi did duke it out with Marcus at 9:08 of the second period after Foligno put a big hit on rookie Isaak Phillips near the Blackhawks net. See https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1755443252189114576?s=20
Richardson, a former heavyweight as a rugged NHL defenseman for 21 season, took it all in.
"I think (Marcus Foligno) took a bit of a run at Isaak, so (Tinordi) took exception to that," Richardson said. "I think it was obviously two big guys in a fair fight. The rink really enjoyed it.
"It made the game lively, but unfortunately we didn't get the outcome we wanted. It would be really nice to have that momentum coming from Tinner giving us a spirited bout like that."
Nick Foligno enjoyed the bout too. See the following video.
BTW: Nick Foligno did take on Devils defenseman Brendan Smith on Jan. 5 in New Jersey after Smith broke Bedard's jaw in the first period with an open-ice hit.
Tyler Johnson Returns
Veteran forward Tyler Johnson returned to depleted Chicago's lineup. He had been out since New Year's even with broken toes in his right foot.
Late Start
The game started at 8:52 p.m. to accommodate TNT's telecast. The network's schedule was delayed after Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev suffered a serious leg injury in New York against the Rangers and had to be stretchered off the ice.