Blue Jackets vs. Golden Knights: Adam Fantilli Snaps a Power-Play Drought With a 59-Second OT Winner

The Columbus Blue Jackets' power play had been stuck on buffering since opening night. Twenty-two straight chances, zero goals. Then, 59 seconds into overtime on Saturday, with a 4-on-3 advantage, Adam Fantilli set up at the bottom of the right circle and hammered a one-timer from a sharp angle. Video finally loaded.

That goal gave Columbus a 2-1 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Nationwide Arena and sent Vegas to its third straight loss. Denton Mateychuk scored in regulation, Kent Johnson had two assists and Cam Talbot made 26 saves on 27 shots for the Blue Jackets.

Mateychuk Opens It Up

Columbus struck first at 11:51 of the opening period. Johnson worked the puck out of the left corner to Mateychuk, who cut toward the net and lifted a backhand over Carter Hart for his second goal of the season. Valeri Nichushkin picked up the second assist.

Mateychuk's night was more than one highlight. The defenseman logged 21:39 and blocked six shots, the kind of two-way game that does not show up on a scoring summary but absolutely shows up on a coach's video breakdown.

Hertl Gets Vegas Even

Vegas answered at 17:13. Braeden Bowman broke in on a 2-on-1, cut back across the grain and tried a backhand that Talbot kicked away with his right pad. Tomas Hertl was right there to clean up the rebound, his fifth goal of the season, with Trevor Connelly also assisting.

From there, the goalies took over. Neither team scored in the second or third periods, and the game turned into the kind of grind where every shift felt like a coin flip.

Talbot Holds the Fort

Vegas pushed hard late, and Talbot had to be sharp. NHL.com said he made 13 of his saves in the third period alone. Vegas finished with a 27-20 edge in shots and a 9-3 edge in takeaways, but Talbot finished with a .963 save percentage.

He was not a lock to be in the net. NHL.com described him as the backup to Jet Greaves, and Talbot appreciated the nod from coach Rick Bowness. "It means a lot. He could have easily went back to Jet," he said, adding that "it's always an honor to be in the net."

Hertl, for his part, saw a better Vegas effort that still came up short. "I think in the third period finally we played a lot more of our game. We had a lot more chances, but still, it's not good enough," he said.

Fantilli Ends the Drought

Vegas took three penalties to Columbus' one, and the Blue Jackets finally made one count in overtime. With a 4-on-3 advantage, Charlie Coyle slid the puck across and Fantilli met it at the bottom of the right circle, ripping it home from a tough angle, with Johnson also assisting. It was his third goal of the season.

"You never know how far down you're going to have to sink for one of those one-timers," Fantilli said. "Just working on the angles, and Charlie made a great pass."

According to NHL.com, it was the Blue Jackets' first power-play goal in 23 opportunities, dating to a 2-for-3 showing against Buffalo in the season opener on Oct. 1. Bowness was relieved, if not exactly thrilled with the full body of work. "It was good to see that thing go in because we had the first power play was really good, the second power play was not very good," he said. "We needed to score there, for sure."

Who Stood Out

Talbot was the best player on the ice, full stop. Johnson had a hand in both Columbus goals. Coyle won 13 of 24 faceoffs to go with his assist, and Fantilli played 19:10 before delivering the winner.

On the Vegas side, Hart was solid, stopping 18 of 20 shots for a .900 save percentage. Hertl scored but lost 11 of his 15 faceoffs. Bowman and Connelly each had an assist on the lone Vegas goal.

Turning Point: The Penalty Count

In a game this tight, discipline decided it. Vegas went 0-for-1 on its lone power play, while Columbus got three chances and converted the last one. Defenseman Noah Hanifin pointed to that after the game. "They're going to make some big stops at key moments, and it was unfortunate having to kill a few penalties there late in the game," he said.

Stats That Matter

• 0-for-22: Columbus' power-play drought before Fantilli's winner, per the AP.
• 27-20: Vegas' edge in shots on goal.
• 13: Talbot's third-period saves, according to NHL.com.
• 3-0: Columbus' record in games that go past regulation this season.
• 9-3: Vegas' edge in takeaways, which still did not translate into goals.

What It Means

Columbus improves to 4-5-0 with eight points and 4-3-0 at home. The Blue Jackets had lost two straight and four of five, and this win wrapped up a homestand on a high note. The AP noted Columbus has won two of its last six and is now 3-0 in games that went beyond regulation. Next up is a trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Vegas drops to 8-4-1 with 17 points and 3-2-1 on the road. The Golden Knights started 8-2-0 but have now lost three straight, the first two by 6-2 scores against Tampa Bay and St. Louis. This one was at least a step in the right direction. "It was better than it has been the last few games," Hanifin said. Coach Ryan Craig credited his players for owning it. "We have a really mature group here in the sense of they take responsibility," he said. Vegas hosts Ottawa on Tuesday.

Buffering Complete

Fantilli summed up the mood in the Columbus room. "We really deserve, our fans really deserve, a game like that," he said.

A 2-1 overtime game will never headline a highlight show, but for a team whose power play had been frozen like a laggy livestream since opening night, the payoff felt huge. One one-timer, two points against a Vegas team that started 8-2-0 and one less question for Columbus heading into November.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press and NHL.com; postgame quotes as reported by NHL.com.