After returning from a three-game absence due to an upper-body injury, Cole Sillinger buried a rebound 52 seconds into overtime to secure a 2-1 victory for the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
Adam Fantilli, playing in his 100th career NHL game, also found the back of the net for Columbus, while Elvis Merzlikins stood tall with 25 saves.
Tomas Hertl scored his 20th goal of the season for Vegas, extending his point streak to 11 games (nine goals, six assists), just one shy of the franchise record set by Jack Eichel in the 2023-24 season. Hertl’s streak is the longest active run in the NHL.
With the overtime loss, the Golden Knights earned a point, keeping them tied atop the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers at 68 points.
Eichel saw his three-game goal streak and seven-game point streak come to an end.
Takeaways
Blue Jackets: Columbus weathered an early Vegas offensive push to stay in the game. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Golden Knights generated an 8-2 edge in high-danger scoring chances but held only a 1-0 lead after the first period.
Golden Knights: Vegas leaned heavily on its top two lines, which accounted for 25 scoring chances compared to just 17 for Columbus. However, the Blue Jackets’ bottom-six forwards controlled their matchups, outchancing the Golden Knights’ depth players 11-4.
Key Moment
Vegas appeared poised to carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Samsonov failed to secure a loose puck in the crease. Fantilli capitalized, digging it out and nudging it over the goal line with 1:26 left in the period.
Key Stat
Merzlikins recorded his 87th career victory, tying Joonas Korpisalo for third-most wins in Blue Jackets history.
Up Next
Columbus continues its road trip against Utah on Friday night, while the Golden Knights head to New York for a matchup against the Rangers on Sunday night.
