Marcus Foligno said he won Buffalo's Rookie of the Year Award by "default" since he was the only rookie to spend the whole season with the Sabres.
"It was tough," Foligno said referring to his underwhelming 18-point season. "That's the way it goes sometimes. You're not always happy. It's not like the effort was not there. It's just some things aren't working. I thought I had some good games, and just consistency is an area I've got to work on." He took a step back in 2013 after recording 13 points in just 14 appearances during the 2011-12 campaign. Foligno wants to be better next year.

Marcus Foligno netted a pair of goals Tuesday to power the Sabres to a 3-1 victory against the Rangers.
He snapped a 20-game goalless drought with his two-goal effort and he finished the night with four shots on goal. Thomas Vanek added his 14th marker of the year, as the team's other score in the match.

Marcus Foligno has played the past two games on Buffalo's top line with Thomas Vanek sidelined with an upper-body injury.
He was a healthy scratch against Florida last Thursday night, but in two appearances since then he has lined up alongside Cody Hodgson and Jason Pominville. Unfortunately, the move hasn't helped him end his lengthy scoring drought. Foligno hasn't netted a goal in 17 straight games and he has gone without a point in seven consecutive matches.

Marcus Foligno will be a healthy scratch Thursday against Florida.
He has one goal in 20 contests this season and none his last 15, so the decision isn't shocking. Still, Foligno isn't worried about sitting for the first time this season. "I've got to know that I have a long career ahead of me and just keep working and learn from this," he said.

Marcus Foligno hasn't scored a goal in his last 15 games and he has found of the back just once in 20 contests.
He has seen his ice time decrease the past two games, but that should pick up if he starts to play better. The Sabres are in desperate need of some secondary scoring and have plenty of players riding lengthy slumps, including Foligno. Nathan Gerbe has no goals in 16 games, while Drew Stafford has one marker in 20 contests and Jason Pominville has one tally in 10 matches.

Marcus Foligno got his first point of the 2013 campaign in his fifth game with the Sabres on Sunday.
Foligno has racked up 10 shots and 11 penalty minutes so far, but his offensive production thus far hasn't been up to par with some of the expectations placed upon him going into the year. However, you should remember that he is still only 21 years of age and adjusting to the play of the NHL. Foligno was great last season in a small sample size of 14 games, so he will probably continue to improve as this season moves along.

Marcus Foligno is looking to pick up where he left off last season in the NHL after keeping himself ready in the minors.
"You can't get frustrated. The lockout could get to you, knowing you had a good end to last year and had a good chance to start with Buffalo," Foligno said. "I had a lot of support from the coaching staff down there and the coaches from the Sabres always being down there watching. You always felt you were being scouted so it helped you to keep working hard and not be complacent." He had six goals and seven assists in 14 games with Buffalo last year and he registered 27 points in 33 contests with Rochester during the lockout. Foligno is expected to rejoin Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford in the team's top-six forward group, which should help him be among the top rookie scorers in the league in the shortened schedule.