RALEIGH, N.C._Warren Foegele made his NHL debut Monday for the Carolina Hurricanes and wanted to keep it simple.
"You only get one first NHL game, so try not be too nervous and have fun," he said after the morning skate at PNC Arena.
Foegele, 21, not only had fun but was also instrumental in the Hurricanes' 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
On his first NHL shot, Foegele scored. On his second shot, he earned an assist.
Just like that, two points.
Valentin Zykov, Brock McGinn and Sebastian Aho also scored for the Hurricanes and Cam Ward beat the Senators for the second time in three days for his 22nd win.
Foegele was recalled Sunday from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and made the most of his first NHL appearance.
Hurricanes coach Bill Peters had him announce the starting lineup in the locker room before the game _ a nerve-wracking task in itself for a rookie. But Foegele handled it well, just as he did the game.
In the first period, he muscled his way out of the corner against Ottawa defenseman Ben Harpur and got off a sharp shot that beat goalie Craig Anderson to the short side.
In the second period, after Bobby Ryan had tied the score for the Senators, Foegele put a shot on net from the slot. Anderson made the stop but fumbled the puck, and Zykov was there to stuff it over the goal line.
For Zykov, that's now three goals in four games, plus two assists. The power forward, recalled from the Checkers last week, had made an immediate impact.
McGinn's goal came on an open shot from between the circles and was his 15th of the season and third in the past four games. Ryan scored on a quick spinning shot in the slot in the second period, but Ward made sparking saves before and after Ryan's score.
He made a sprawling stop on a shot by Mike Hoffman to keep to a 1-1 game, pushing hard to his left across the crease. Ward, who had 34 saves Saturday as the Hurricanes won 5-2 in Ottawa, then made some good stops on a third-period power play by the Senators.
Derek Ryan had a pair of assists for the Hurricanes and Aho extended his career-best point streak to nine games with a late empty-net score.
The Hurricanes again played without injured defenseman Justin Faulk, out with an upper-body injury.
Foegele became the 21st player in franchise history to score in his first game. It came with his parents, brother and girlfriend at the game.
Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said the plan was to play Foegele for a few games, and then return him to the Checkers, who are in good position to reach the AHL playoffs for a second straight season. That's always subject to change, of course.
