Recap: Foegele Shines in Debut as Canes Top Senators

Warren Foegele tallied a goal and an assist in his National Hockey League debut, helping the Carolina Hurricanes top the Ottawa Senators for the second consecutive game, 4-1.
Valentin Zykov, Brock McGinn and Sebastian Aho (empty net) also scored for the Hurricanes, who swept the three-game season series against the Senators.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's game.

One
It was already going to be an unforgettable night for Foegele, the fifth player to make his NHL debut with the Hurricanes this season.
Then he went out and had himself a game. Foegele became the 21st player in franchise history to score in his debut, and he added a primary assist, too. In his two-point performance, Foegele was a plus-2 with two shots and five hits in 11:12 of ice time.
"I was a little nervous out there. It took me until about the third shift to realize it's just another hockey game. My linemates kept talking to me and kept me comfortable," Foegele said. "It was a great experience."

"It's exciting. You're happy for them. They've worked hard all their life, and all of a sudden they realize the dream," head coach Bill Peters said. "The dream is to make the National Hockey League, and then they score. They gave us good energy tonight."
With his parents, brother and girlfriend in the crowd, it was a moment Foegele, named the first star of the game, was able to share with those closest to him.
"They've been through so much supporting me," he said. "Everything they've done through the years. My brother, too. It's just great they were able to be here."
Two
Foegele's goal was a deft display of strength and skating ability, two of the 21-year-old forward's strong suits. Working in the corner, he outmuscled Senators defenseman Ben Harpur to shield the puck, turn with it and take it toward the net. He snuck the puck in on a shot from a tough angle to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 advantage late in the first period, and he celebrated with an emphatic fist pump.

"I thought I'd do a tight turn on him and just shoot it on net. It was fortunate enough to go in," Foegele said. "I heard the crowd make the noise, and I looked in the back of the net. A pretty surreal moment for myself. Something I'll remember forever."
"Real good play by Warren on his goal," Peters said. "Beat his guy out of the corner off the wall and went to the net hard."
Shoot the puck and good things happen, right?
"The best advice I got was to just shoot it on net," Foegele said. "I just shot it and it went in."
Three
Foegele's assist again highlighted his skating and quick release. Working in the middle of the ice, Foegele fired off a quick shot that was tough for Craig Anderson to handle. Valentin Zykov, using his big body to crash the net, located the loose puck on the rebound and banged it in.

"I thought I'd try to get it on net, and Z just went to the net and got the rebound," Foegele said. "It was a good play for everyone."
"Real good release on the game-winner," Peters said. "He got that off in a tight space and got it off quick. The goaltender couldn't handle it clean, and it led to the goal. I thought he did some good things."
Former Checkers hooking up for a goal with the big club.
"I've been seeing it all year. The best part about it is it's exactly what they've been doing," said Roland McKeown, who was a plus-3 on the night. "Z's been scoring around the net, just like he's done in Charlotte, and Foegele had a lot of nice cuts tonight, good on his edges and a quick release on his goal."
Four
The next test for Foegele and Zykov, both who have made an immediate impact after being recalled, comes immediately on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils, who currently sit in playoff position.
"It's a different test tomorrow with the Devils, so we'll get a better read on these guys," Peters said. "Now we're going to go play a back-to-back and a team that's real quick. … We'll see how they handle that and the puck management. … It's a continual evaluation."
So far, so good for the young talent.
"There are guys coming. Ronnie has done a great job through the draft," Peters said. "Good job by Vellucci down there getting them ready. Nobody got rushed."
"I had nerves, but I had to stick to what's been working," Foegele said. "As the games go, I'll start to get more comfortable."
Five
Now, the rest of it.
It was a close call but in the final minutes of the game, Aho was able to extend his career-long point streak to nine games by firing the puck down the ice from his own zone and into the empty net. Aho has recorded four goals and eight assists in his last nine games.
Not even two minutes after Zykov scored what would be the game-winner did McGinn add to the Hurricanes' total with his 15th goal of the season, an absolute rifle off the blade of his stick.

Finally, Cam Ward backstopped the Hurricanes to a three-game season series sweep of the Senators, allowing just four goals in that stretch. Ward is 10-1-2 with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in his last 13 games against Ottawa.
Having only faced 20 shots on Monday night, he could start in a back-to-back situation on Tuesday.

"I didn't think our goaltender was overly taxed tonight," Peters said. "That's an option, but we'll talk about it on the plane like we always do."
Up Next
The Hurricanes will take on the Devils on Tuesday night in New Jersey.