Foo rewarded with first NHL goal in loss to Jets
WINNIPEG Spencer Foo might be the only guy on the payroll who doesn’t want this miserable march to the finish line to be over just yet.
At least now, the 23-year-old call-up will have a keepsake from his late-season look-see with the Calgary Flames.
Foo notched his first NHL goal in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the playoffbound Winnipeg Jets at MTS Bell Place.
“Just joy, I guess, and maybe a little bit of relief,” Foo said, describing his second-period pinch-me moment. “It’s a long time coming, and it feels pretty special.”
The Flames have lost nine of their past 10 contests as they stumble into summer vacation, but Foo has been a bright spot since his arrival from the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat.
He made a positive first impression in Saturday ’s Battle of Alberta — a 3-2 decision in favour of Calgary ’s crew, their only victory now during a three-week stretch — and then racked up a team-leading seven shots on goal in Tuesday’s 4-1 home loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
During Thursday ’s middle stanza at MTS Bell Place, the rookie right-winger was parked in the blue paint, jostling for position with Jets rearguard Jacob Trouba when Michael Stone’s slapper from the point glanced off the inside of his right skate and tucked in the back of the net.
Flames superstar Johnny Gaudreau retrieved the puck and delivered it to an equipment-staffer for safekeeping.
One day, Foo might tell his grandkids that his first big-league marker was a bar-down beauty, a dazzling deke or maybe an overtime winner.
His boss doesn’t mind the current description.
“There can be a little misconception when you’re more of a skilled player that you’re going to come in and shoot every one in,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “You need goals like the one he got — going to the gritty areas, going off you, going off your skate when you’re trying to get to the right areas.
“I tell the young guys, ‘They count those ones, too.’ You need a few of those throughout the year if you want to be a 15- or a 20-goal guy or whatever it is. You need the ones in the hard areas. I think that’s a good thing that he’s committed to going there. He stands in front of the net on the power play, and he’s not scared to go in those areas.”
Foo’s final audition comes Saturday, when the Flames conclude this underachieving campaign against the Vegas Golden Knights at the Saddledome (8 p.m., CBC/ Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
The Jets, meanwhile, are far from finished. There were plenty of storylines Thursday for the locals.
Could they reel in the Nashville Predators for top spot in the Central Division? With the Preds winning on the out-of-town scoreboard, that ain’t gonna happen.
Can sophomore stud Patrik Laine catch Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard Trophy race? Laine was robbed by Flames netminder Jon Gillies on a third-period power play and now needs a hat trick to catch the Washington Capitals’ superstar.
Can Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck leave his name in the history books? We know the answer to that one already — with Thursday ’s 31-save performance, Hellebuyck matched Tom Barrasso’s singleseason record for most wins by an American-born backstop, with 43.
Down the hall in the visitor’s quarters, there was really only question, although nobody dared to say it — ‘Is it over yet?’ Almost.
Even if Foo isn’t ready for farewells.
With the Flames outscored by a 46-16 count in their past dozen dates, it’s become clear that general manager Brad Treliving will be shopping for finishers in the summer.
It’s only a three-game snapshot, but perhaps Foo can provide some pop. He was a go-to guy last season for the Union College Dutchmen before signing with the Flames as an undrafted free agent. He potted 20 in Stockton before scoring a promotion. Now, he has an NHL tally on his resume.
“You never really know how it’s going to go until you get up here,” Foo had admitted after Thursday ’s morning skate in Winnipeg. “But once you settle into a game and you realize that you can play here, you can still make plays and still find ways to get scoring chance, that feels pretty good.”
A few hours later, he must have been feeling even better.
Jets captain Blake Wheeler and trade-deadline acquisition Paul Stastny scored Thursday for the home-side, both on dandy deflections.