| 1 | 2 | 3 (OT) | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
0 | 2 | 0 (1) | 3 |
 |
0 | 1 | 1 (0) | 2 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
||||
The hometown boys did their friends and family in attendance proud.
Adam Fantilli scored twice, including the overtime game winner, and Jet Greaves stopped 27 of 29 shots as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in 3-2 Thursday night.
Both are from the greater Toronto area and combined had over 200 loved ones at Scotiabank Arena to see them in action.
Despite the big night from both, it was Dmitri Voronkov who got the scoring started for the Blue Jackets in this one. His goal — a deflection off a Fantilli shot — put Columbus up 1-0 just over three minutes into the second period.
Fantilli would extend the Blue Jackets' lead to 2-0 later in the period, but the Maple Leafs would answer just over two minutes later to make it a 2-1 game through two periods.
Toronto would tie it early in the third, and the game would stay knotted at 2-2 until the final minute of overtime, when Fantilli struck for the second time to put it in the win column for Columbus.
Head coach Dean Evason said after the game he could tell Fantilli was motivated as soon as the plane landed.
"If we could play all our games here, he'd probably have 50 (goals)," said Evason.
He may be right. Fantilli has six goals in eight career games against the Maple Leafs, and his two goals Thursday were the 50th and 51st in the NHL in 152 career games.
Greaves, meanwhile, was in net against his hometown team for the first time since making his NHL debut against them in 2023.
"I really appreciate the opportunity to come play here," said Greaves. "There's so many people that have helped me throughout my career, not just in hockey but in life, that are in the building so it's definitely special."
Here's more on how the Blue Jackets snagged a pair of points north of the border:
1st Period:
No scoring in the opening period, but Toronto easily could've been up by at least a goal or two. The Maple Leafs had a 12-4 lead in shots, a 13-4 advantage in scoring chances, and had all nine of the high-danger opportunities. Additionally, the Blue Jackets won just three of 16 faceoffs. Natural Stat Trick had expected goals at 2.06 to 0.32 in favor of Toronto, a testament to how solid Greaves was in the first twenty minutes.
2nd Period:
(3:17 — CBJ Goal): Voronkov puts the Blue Jackets up 1-0 just over three minutes into the second period. Lots of good puck movement from Columbus here, with Fantilli firing from nearby the faceoff dot and Voronkov getting just enough of a piece of it in front of the net to get credit for his fourth tip-in (and ninth overall) goal of the season.
Dmitri Voronkov's deflection goal gives the #CBJ a 1-0 lead. With four, he's tied for the most tip-in goals in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/ibPAZ1JGF4
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 21, 2025
(12:01 — CBJ Goal): Fantilli extends the Columbus lead to 2-0. The Blue Jackets catch Toronto in the midst of a much-needed line change and push the play forward, with Fantilli banging one past Leafs goalie Joseph Woll, off the post, and in the back of the net.
The 50th goal of Adam Fantilli's NHL career extends the #CBJ lead to 2-0. pic.twitter.com/bWGU1hT1fB
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 21, 2025
(14:12 — TOR Goal): Toronto gets one back and cut Columbus' lead in half. Dakota Mermis gets his first goal as a Maple Leaf on a wrister through traffic to make it a 2-1 game.
DAKOTA MERMIS, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, WITH HIS FIRST AS A LEAF TO GIVE THE BUDS SOME LIFE.
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) November 21, 2025
2-1 CBJ
Via @TSN_Sports #LeafsForever
pic.twitter.com/psISxXWBxx
3rd Period + Overtime:
(3:33 — TOR Goal): Toronto ties it at 2-2. A give-and-go between Easton Cowan and Tavares with the latter getting a snipe off from the slot that beats Greaves to tie the game early in the third.
COWBOY TO TAVARES TO TIE THE GAME AT TWO A PIECE.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 21, 2025
JT STAYS HOT. pic.twitter.com/OnJlkjgh6Q
(OT, 4:21 — CBJ Goal): Fantilli's second goal of the game is a beauty and puts two points in the bank for the Blue Jackets. He takes a crisp pass from Werenski and it's off to the races. Fantilli blows by Domi, skates in tight and roofs a wrister from a tough angle to win it for the Blue Jackets in overtime.
You wanna see that Mo game-winner again?
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 21, 2025
Yeah you do. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/7WGzUxHMyb
| CBJ | GAME STATS | TOR |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | SHOTS | 29 |
| 31% | FACEOFFS | 69% |
| 0/2 | POWER PLAY | 0/2 |
| 2/2 | PENALTY KILL | 2/2 |
| 15 | HITS | 27 |
| 20 | GIVEAWAYS | 14 |
| 2 | TAKEAWAYS | 3 |
| 25 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 14 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 3.04 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.98 |
| 63 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 73 |
| 31 | SCORING CHANCES | 36 |
| 12 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 14 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
Zach Werenski assisted on all three goals. His third apple of the night put him at 403 for his career, passing Cam Atkinson for the second-most in Blue Jackets franchise history. Rick Nash, the all-time leader, has 547.
-
Fantilli's two-goal night gave him six goals in his last seven games. He had just two in his first 14 games to start the season.
- Despite the win, this was the worst game of the season for the Blue Jackets at the faceoff dot. They won just 20 of 64 faceoffs (31%), just the second time this season they've been under 40% for a game.
Up Next:
Another night, another road game. The Blue Jackets are in Detroit on Saturday night for the third game of the four-game roadie. Puck-drop is an early one: 1:00 p.m.
