Adam Fantilli needed just 59 seconds of overtime to put this one away, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Vegas Golden Knights and snapping Columbus’ losing streak in the process. The 3-2 win at Nationwide Arena also handed Vegas a third straight loss, while the Jackets moved to 4-5 on the season.
Columbus set the tone early and never really let the game drift too far out of reach. Denton Mateychuk opened the scoring at 11:51 of the first period, giving the Blue Jackets the first goal for the sixth time this season. It was also the fifth straight game at Nationwide Arena in which Columbus scored first.
Vegas answered, but Columbus kept hanging around long enough to make the finish count. Kent Johnson helped drive the offense with a pair of assists, while Charlie Coyle and Val Nichushkin each added a helper. Johnson’s two-assist night marked his first multi-assist game of the season and pushed him to 3-2-5 over his last six games.
Fantilli, who finished with his third goal of the season, sealed it in overtime for his third career OT winner and seventh game-winner overall. He has now scored in two of the last three games, and his winner came despite winning only 28.6% of his faceoffs.
Cam Talbot gave Columbus exactly the kind of goaltending it needed against a potent Vegas group. He turned aside 26 of 27 shots for his second win of the season, and Columbus got another clean night from its penalty kill, which shut down the only Golden Knights power play. The Blue Jackets themselves went 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
Mateychuk did more than start the scoring. He finished with six blocks, and his second goal of the season now puts him atop Blue Jackets defensemen in goals in 2026-27. He also sits tied with John Carlson, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson for seventh among NHL defensemen in even-strength goals since the start of 2025-26 with 14.
There were other steady contributors, too. Nichushkin picked up his fourth assist and has helpers in three of the past four home games.
Coyle extended his recent run with his seventh assist, giving him points in back-to-back games and in five of his last six. Zach Werenski added three shots and two blocks.
The numbers around the series continue to tilt Columbus’ way at home. The Blue Jackets have now earned points in six of their nine all-time home games against Vegas, going 5-3-1 in those matchups.
The home team has also gone 7-2-2 in the last 11 games of the series, and Columbus improved to 2-1 in overtime against the Golden Knights, including the Jan. 30, 2025, 2-1 OT win in Vegas.
Columbus is now 3-0 this season in games that go past regulation, all of them at Nationwide Arena. Next comes a road trip to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Fans Are Already Debating One Zach Werenski Concern
Zach Werenski is off to another familiar start for the Blue Jackets, and the early numbers suggest the offense around him is still there even if the conversation online has turned sideways. Through the first nine games, he has 2 goals and 4 assists, which fits pretty neatly with what he has usually done in the opening stretch of recent seasons, while Columbus has stumbled to a 4-5 record and left fans looking for someone to pin the uneven start on.
The concern is less about what Werenski is creating and more about what has been showing up on the other side of the puck. His giveaways and defensive-zone giveaways are tracking toward a career worst, and that has become the early warning sign for a player the Blue Jackets still rely on in every situation. For a team trying to steady itself, the debate is not whether Werenski can drive play, but whether the mistakes are becoming too costly too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Prospect Evan Jardine Is Forcing His Way Onto The Radar
Evan Jardine is already making a noticeable first impression in his first college hockey season, and that matters in Columbus. The Blue Jackets fourth-round pick has stepped into Ohio State and quickly found a way to produce, carrying over the promise he showed with the Youngstown Phantoms into a faster, bigger stage.
The early returns have given the Blue Jackets something worth tracking closely. Jardine has been around the puck, around the net and around the scoring chances in a way that suggests his development is moving in the right direction, even if the bigger test will be sustaining it over a full college season. For a prospect group that is always looking for breakout signs, he is starting to look less like a long-term flier and more like a name that belongs on the radar. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face A Dmitri Voronkov Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Blue Jackets have found themselves with an unexpected bit of late-summer interest around Dmitri Voronkov, and it is the kind of development that can quickly turn into a bigger roster conversation. Clubs are checking in on the forward, which puts Columbus in a familiar spot as teams look for value and scoring depth while trying to sort out their own offseason priorities.
For now, the calls are just that, calls, and there is no indication the situation is headed in one direction or another. But Voronkov is enough of a notable piece that any trade buzz around him will be watched closely in Columbus, especially with other teams around the league juggling their own cap decisions, free-agent questions and roster needs. [Read more 🡒]