Latest news with #AdamFantilli
CBC
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada drops 1st game at IIHF worlds in shootout loss to Finland
Adam Fantilli had a chance to extend the shootout after a nice move on Juuse Saros, but couldn't find the net. Finland won 2-1 in the shootout.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Canada's rising star Adam Fantilli ready to make his mark at the 2025 IIHF World Championship
Fantilli steps into 2025 World Championship with Team Canada (Image via: Getty Images) In the world of international hockey, few players carry the weight of national pride as heavily as Adam Fantilli does. After a breakout sophomore season in the NHL, where he scored 30 goals and propelled the Columbus Blue Jackets back into playoff contention, Fantilli's journey is far from over. His next goal is to represent Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship , but with a bigger prize in his sights — an Olympic appearance at the 2026 Winter Games. Adam Fantilli's road to Olympics begins at the 2025 IIHF World Championship At just 20 years old, Fantilli is already a force to be reckoned with in the NHL. But for him, individual accolades aren't enough. The real challenge lies ahead: securing a spot on Team Canada for future international tournaments, with the Olympics being the ultimate goal. His performance at the World Championship in Stockholm will be a critical moment in his young career, one that could set the tone for his future on the world stage. Fantilli is no stranger to high expectations. As one of the top prospects in Canadian hockey, he's always been driven by the vision of representing his country. However, as the competition for a spot on the Olympic roster intensifies, Fantilli's eyes are on the bigger picture. 'With the Olympics coming up, obviously that's something I want to be a part of, maybe not next year but five years from now,' Fantilli shared. Fantilli's chance to prove himself at the 2025 World Championship While the road to the Olympics may be filled with challenges, the World Championship provides a perfect opportunity for Fantilli to prove himself on an international stage. This year, he is joined by some of Canada's most legendary hockey icons, including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Marc-Andre Fleury. The presence of these elite players is not just an honor but a learning opportunity for Fantilli, who admits that being part of such a star-studded roster came as a surprise. 'Nate (MacKinnon) is a guy that I grew up wanting to be like and wanting to emulate. Sid (Crosby) is a player who every young Canadian loves, so it's really cool to have both those guys on the same team,' Fantilli added. Also Read: Capitals' playoff hopes dim as Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson struggle But Fantilli isn't alone in his pursuit of international glory. He is part of a new wave of talented young Canadian players, including Macklin Celebrini and Kent Johnson, all of whom are ready to carry the torch for Canada's future in hockey. The 2025 World Championship is more than just a tournament, it's the first step toward what could be a legendary international career, with Fantilli at the forefront of Canada's next generation of hockey greatness.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Adam Fantilli Practices On Same Line With Legend At Worlds
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Dean Evason knows what he has with Adam Fantilli, and getting him experience will only make him better. So why not play him with a current all-time great player? Sports Writer Ville Touru posted today that CBJ young star Adam Fantilli has practiced on the wing with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby. On Fantilli's opposite wing is Macklin Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks star who just completed his rookie season and is a Calder Trophy Finalist. Advertisement Can Sidney Crosby keep up with these two young stars? That's a joke, of course he can. Adam Fantilli might not be playing center for Team Canada, but playing with a future Hall-of-Famer and learning from him could help him for years to come. Fantilli is coming off a season that saw him tie Kirill Marchenko for the most goals on the team, while having anything but a sophomore slump. Fantilli's teammate, Kent Johnson, practiced on the third line, centered by Ryan O'Reilly as well. Seems like Dean Evason might be setting up his young stars for future success by putting them around Hall of Famers or superstars. Advertisement Ulterior Motives? Possibly. Let us know what you think below. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. Brother Of Blue Jackets' Mateychuk Drafted By WHL's Vancouver Giants Brother Of Blue Jackets' Mateychuk Drafted By WHL's Vancouver Giants Columbus Blue Jackets' Denton Mateychuk's brother Crosby Mateychuk has been drafted into the Western Hockey League (WHL) by the Vancouver Giants. Former Cleveland Monster Goalie Has The Edmonton Oilers On Fire Former Cleveland Monster Goalie Has The Edmonton Oilers On Fire Former Cleveland Monsters goalie Calvin Pickard is "The Hot Goalie" right now and has the Advertisement Edmonton Oilers rolling. 2025 Columbus Blue Jackets Potential Free Agent Targets: Dante Fabbro 2025 Columbus Blue Jackets Potential Free Agent Targets: Dante Fabbro This summer, Spencer Lazary and I will continue our series with more potential free agent targets that could be on the market on July 1st.
New York Times
20-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: The good, bad and ugly of our ‘bold' preseason predictions
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets: Before every season, we're encouraged to make bold predictions about the teams we cover. It's a chance to show readers how much we know and how closely we're paying attention, but, more than anything, it's an opportunity to embarrass ourselves thoroughly months later. Advertisement So here goes! On Oct. 4, 2024, we published 'Blue Jackets bold predictions: Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson ready to take off.' OK, so far so good. Here's what we saw coming and where we hit and missed, graded on a four-point scale: 1. Victory Dance, 2. Round of Applause, 3. Meh and 4. Next Question. The prediction: 'Not only will (the Blue Jackets) not finish last overall, but they also won't finish last in the Eastern Conference. And now we're going to take it a step further: They won't finish last in the Metropolitan Division. I'm not saying who will finish last because I don't want hate mail from New York Islanders, Washington Capitals or Philadelphia Flyers fans. We're not predicting the playoffs. We're not saying the Blue Jackets don't have a long way to go. But we suspect they'll play over their heads — and way over expectations — this season.' The result: You're welcome. The Blue Jackets finished ahead of 12 other teams in the overall standings. They were ninth in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Metro. They did, in fact, play 'way over expectations' this season. If we'd only shut up before that second sentence. The Capitals were the best team in the East. Grade: Round of Applause The prediction: 'I've been saying this for a while now, that a proper goal for this season is to still be within sniffing distance of a wild-card spot when the NHL Stadium Series game between the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings is staged in Ohio Stadium on March 1. That's probably a bigger 'ask' than the first bold prediction. But my hunch is that the Blue Jackets-Red Wings game will have implications.' The result: Vegas, anyone? Part of what made that atmosphere so incredible was the fact Detroit and Columbus were tied in the standings and both in playoff spots when the puck dropped. The Blue Jackets, with the win, jumped the Red Wings into seventh place. Grade: Victory Dance. THE GAME WINNER AT OHIO STADIUM!!!!@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 2, 2025 The prediction: 'It says here that Adamo 'Adam' Fantilli, who will be the Blue Jackets' second-line center — he's skating with James van Riemsdyk and Kent Johnson — will lead the club in assists and points this season. He's also playing a significant role on the power play.' The result: Fantilli had 31-23-54 — a very good sophomore season, especially when you consider he missed half of his rookie year with an injury. But he was seventh on the club in assists and fifth in points. His 31 goals were tied with Marchenko for the team lead. Grade: Next Question Advertisement The prediction: 'So far in camp, Marchenko has skated on the right side of the No. 1 line, with Jenner now at left wing and Sean Monahan at center. That line should start with the puck and possess more than Blue Jackets fans are used to seeing, and Marchenko — a part of that, to be sure — can only benefit. The Jackets asked Marchenko to be harder on pucks and more reliable in his defensive zone. Considerable progress has been shown on both fronts.' The result: So close, but the spirit of this prediction was bang-on. Marchenko stayed on the No. 1 line all season, but with a rotating cast to his left. He had 31 goals, but finished the season on a season-long nine-game goal-less streak. I'm taking that personally. Grade: Meh The prediction: 'It's impossible to watch the Blue Jackets over the past two weeks and conclude that Denton Mateychuk isn't already one of the organization's top six defensemen. He's incredibly poised for a 20-year-old facing NHL competition for the first time. He's rarely out of position and makes smart, quick passes, often short and subtle. The Blue Jackets do not want to rush their prospects, and (GM Don) Waddell is particularly averse to this. But there are exceptions to every rule, and Mateychuk might deserve to be the exception. We're not saying he's going to open the season in Columbus, though that's not out of the question. But Mateychuk will play for a long time in the NHL, and he'll get 40-plus games in Columbus this season.' The result: (Pats self on back) Mateychuk did not start the season in Columbus, but, no, he would not be denied. After lighting up the NHL, Mateychuk was recalled in mid-December and stuck in the NHL the rest of the way, playing 45 games. He averaged 18:02 per game, too, which is quite impressive for a 20-year-old. Grade: Victory Dance Advertisement The prediction: '(Dean) Evason isn't as loquacious as (Ken) Hitchcock. He's not as easily provoked as (John) Tortorella. But there's a fire that burns below the surface, and there will be times when his passion bubbles to the surface. Fans can't get enough of that. Mostly, though, his players will do the talking with their play for Evason, and that's enough. There will likely be some explosive nights in Nationwide (Arena) this season.' The result: If we missed here, we may have missed low. Fans quickly became attached to Evason, not just for his fiery attitude on the bench — poor Scott Ford — but also for his genuine emotion in helping navigate the Blue Jackets through the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy. As noted, this town loves coaches. Evason worked his way in quickly. Grade: Round of Applause Dean's legendary cellys have made their way to the #CBJ bench! 👊 Congrats on the first of many with us! @drinkgaragebeer | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 13, 2024 The prediction: 'Over the past three seasons, the Jackets have finished 27th (2021-22), 25th (2022-23) and 24th (2023-24) in penalty minutes. Evason's Minnesota Wild teams, by contrast, were fourth, sixth and third, respectively. It hurt to play the Wild. I know, I know. PIMs are not a measure of greatness. But they can be a reflection of the style of play. The Blue Jackets, under Evason, will play with a different energy than you've seen in three or four seasons.' The result: This wasn't the most forthright prediction, but the spirit of the prognostication was clear. The Blue Jackets did pick up the pace and the physicality under Evason. They ranked 16th in the NHL with 676 PIMs, thanks largely to Mathieu Olivier, who led the league in fights and was second in the league in PIMs (139). In a general sense, though, if you watched these Blue Jackets, you know the pace was faster than anything we've seen since 2019-20. Grade: Round of Applause The prediction: 'After a massive summer, (Kent) Johnson showed up at camp looking noticeably thicker and stronger. Once he stepped on the ice, you could see how he's gotten a step quicker, too. He has been, simply put, the Blue Jackets' best player through much of camp. The guy who had 16 goals, 24 assists and 40 points as a rookie two seasons ago looks ready to justify his No. 5 selection in 2021. If anyone challenges Fantilli for the assists lead, it will likely be Johnson.' Advertisement The result: The art of conversation, it is said, is to say a little less than you wish. The art of prediction, it seems, is to stop one sentence short. This is pretty much on target: Johnson did 'justify' his draft spot with 24-33-57 in 68 games, career highs across the board. He was fourth on the club in assists. Grade: Round of Applause The prediction: 'The Blue Jackets have several players heading into their final contract years with unrestricted free agency looming in the summer of 2025. I'm not saying Waddell will part ways with all of those players. He values veteran players in the dressing room, so some will probably stay. They might even sign extensions before the trade deadline. But surely some veterans will be on the move, especially if the younger players push the veterans for playing time, as the organization hopes.' The result: Waddell not only kept all of his UFAs, he added two others — Luke Kunin and Christian Fischer — at the deadline. The Blue Jackets were in a playoff position when the trade deadline arrived in early March, and Waddell opted not to take any veterans out of the room. The only vet who signed an extension (so far) is Zachary Aston-Reese, who is signed through 2025-26. Grade: Next Question The prediction: 'Since the creation of the NHL in 1917, 47 sets of brothers have played on the same team in at least one game. At some point this season, we predict Cole Sillinger and his older brother, Owen, will make it 48. We're not saying it's going to happen by the Oct. 10 regular-season opener, although it could. But it's going to happen at some point this season, and it'll be a franchise first.' The result: So close. Owen Sillinger made his NHL debut on Jan. 9 vs. Seattle, but ironically went into the Blue Jackets lineup because Cole Sillinger was out with injury. A month later, Owen had season-ending knee surgery, and now he's an unrestricted free agent. So, the chance that it happens again is murky. They may have to settle for being the second set of brothers to play for the Blue Jackets. Kris and Ryan Russell both played for Columbus, but, like the Sillingers, never played in the same game. Grade: Next Question Thursday's 6-1 win over the Islanders was the final game of the season, and quite possibly the end of Sean Kuraly's time with the Blue Jackets. He scored a goal, had a plus-2 rating, had a hit, blocked a shot and was credited with three takeaways. Kuraly said he took some time to savor the evening, just in case he plays elsewhere next season. He's one of nine unrestricted free agents for the Blue Jackets, but stands out given he was raised (and still lives) in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. Advertisement 'I just tried to go out there and enjoy it, soak it all in, maybe take a few more looks than you normally do,' Kuraly said. 'You never really know what's next, so how do you stay in the moment? I realize there is some reality to some of these things. 'It was a fun night to enjoy it with my teammates and the fans, and for the most part, we did that.' THE HOMETOWN KID! 🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 18, 2025 Kuraly signed a four-year, $10 million deal with the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2021, a difficult time for the organization. Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky had left via free agency two years earlier; Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson and David Savard had all been traded; and the franchise's winningest coach, John Tortorella, had moved along. One of the reasons Kuraly chose Columbus over numerous free-agent suitors, he said, was to help the organization stay afloat after the mass exodus of talent. It was not an easy four years, but they ended with a crescendo. The Blue Jackets didn't make the playoffs, but they hung in the race all season, and the franchise seems to have finally found its footing. Kuraly said he could take pride in the progress. 'Not a lot of people get a chance to do what I did the last four years,' Kuraly said. 'What an incredible experience playing in front of so many family and friends, and this whole city. They really rally behind this team, and it's been super special. 'Like anything, you'd like the progress to be linear, increasingly better each year. But I've learned throughout not just my NHL career, but my hockey career and life, that's just not how it goes. It was a great single season for us, but also a culmination of efforts that we put together for a lot of years. The pieces came together for us this year better than they have in the last few years.' Advertisement Kuraly's ice time plunged by almost two minutes per game under Evason, from 13:44 in 2023-24 to 11:45 this season. There was a long stretch of the season in which Kuraly was missing from the penalty kill, even as the Blue Jackets struggled to kill penalties. Waddell mentioned UFA defensemen Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro as players the club is interested in re-signing, but said there were others as well. So, nobody can say for sure where things are headed with Kuraly. The other UFAs are Justin Danforth, van Riemsdyk, Kevin Labanc, Fischer, Kunin and Jack Johnson. • Blue Jackets assistant coaches Niklas Bäckström (goaltending), Jared Boll and Steve McCarthy have contracts that expire this summer, but there's no word yet about their futures. All three were holdovers from the previous staff when Evason was hired. Evason then brought in two of his own guys, hiring Ford, who had been a longtime AHL assistant coach in the Nashville Predators organization, and promoting veteran coach Mike Haviland from AHL Cleveland. • As of today, the Blue Jackets have the 13th and 20th picks in this summer's draft. We say 'as of today' because both could change. The Jackets, as one of 16 non-playoff teams, have a chance to 'win' the lottery, but they cannot win the No. 1 pick. The most a team can move up is 10 spots, so the best the Blue Jackets could do is pick No. 3. They have a 2 percent chance of 'winning,' but a 2.5 percent chance of sliding down one spot. That's the combined odds of the three non-playoff teams that finished ahead of them in the standings: Utah (1.5 percent), Vancouver (0.5) and Montreal via Calgary (0.5). The Wild's pick could fluctuate as the playoffs move along. • Elvis Merzlikins acknowledged at his end-of-season media scrum that he suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the final five games. He was back with the Blue Jackets for the last day of the season, but dressed in a temporary locker stall in the middle of the dressing room because all other stalls were taken. • One cool note: The Blue Jackets had rookie Jack Williams in a temporary locker stall paired with Merzlikins in the middle of the dressing room. But when Jack Johnson, a veteran of 1,228 NHL games, learned that Williams was making his NHL debut that night, he asked the training staff to put Williams in his stall and let him take the temporary, since he was a healthy scratch. He wanted Williams' first experience to be the real deal. Classy move. Advertisement • Expect news soon regarding which Blue Jackets players will take part in the IIHF World Championship, which runs May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark. In recent seasons, Blue Jackets players would already have been invited and made their decisions clear, but staying in the playoff race so long delayed those conversations. Zach Werenski has already ruled out playing for Team USA, citing a busy summer that includes his wedding. • Four Blue Jackets played in all 82 games this season: Fantilli, Kuraly, Olivier and Provorov. That last player should not be a surprise: Provorov has played 696 games without missing a game to injury. The only three games he's missed were in 2021-22 due to a positive COVID-19 test. This was Provorov's sixth 82-game season. Impressive. Only twice before have four Blue Jackets players dressed in every game of an 82-game season: 2018-19 — Josh Anderson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Savard and Werenski; and 2016-17 — Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Jack Johnson and Brandon Saad. • Speaking of Savard, raise a glass for the former Blue Jackets defenseman, who announced this week he'll be retiring after this season, or whenever the Montreal Canadiens' playoff run ends. Savard, 34, played in 597 games for the Blue Jackets, the fifth-most in franchise history and tops (for now) among defensemen. His 958 blocked shots are tops on the franchise list, and his 1,117 hits are fourth all-time, tops among blueliners. He scored 40 goals in the regular season for Columbus and only one in 37 playoff games, but it was a freakin' beauty, part of the Blue Jackets' come-from-behind win in Game 1 of their sweep over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. • Sunday Gathering trivia: The Blue Jackets (40-33-9, 89 points) made a 23-point improvement this season from their 2023-24 record (27-43-12, 66 points). That's the second-largest improvement from one season to the next in franchise history. In what season did they make their biggest climb? • AHL Cleveland will play the Toronto Marlies in a best-of-three first-round series to open the AHL playoffs. Game 1 is Thursday in Cleveland, while Games 2 (Saturday) and 3 (Sunday, if necessary) are in Toronto. The winner advances to play the Laval Rocket, which finished with the AHL's best record under former Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent. • Luca Del Bel Belluz led the Cleveland Monsters with 27 goals, finishing 27-26-53 in 61 games. That's the third-highest goal total for a Monsters player since the franchise became affiliated with Columbus in 2015, trailing only Zac Dalpe (33, 2018-19) and Trey Fix-Wolansky (29, 2022-23). Pretty impressive totals, considering Del Bel Belluz spent a month (Jan. 9 to Feb. 8) with the Blue Jackets when they were crushed with injuries to centers Monahan and Cole Sillinger while Jenner was still recovering from shoulder surgery. Del Bel Belluz was a second-round pick (No. 44) in 2022. • Goaltender Evan Gardner, the Blue Jackets' second-round pick (No. 60) last summer, made his pro debut for Cleveland on Saturday, stopping 16 of 19 in a 3-0 loss. Gardner signed an amateur tryout agreement with Cleveland earlier this month. He's still eligible to return to his junior club, the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, for another junior season in 2025-26. Advertisement • For the third straight season, Fix-Wolansky was Cleveland's leading point-getter, totaling 26-34-60 in 65 games. The one difference this season: no NHL recalls for Fix-Wolansky, who will be a UFA this summer because of his age (25) and because he's played fewer than 80 NHL games (26). If he decides to move along, he will have made quite an impact in Cleveland. Fix-Wolansky is the franchise's all-time record-holder in goals (112), assists (147), points (259), power-play goals (34), game-winning goals (22) and single-season points (71, 2022-23). He's also third in games played (289). • Trivia answer: In 2016-17, the Blue Jackets finished with a franchise-record 108 points (50-24-8), a 32-point improvement over the 2015-16 club, which had 76 points (34-40-8). (Photo of Kent Johnson: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Columbus Blue Jackets continue push: 3 takeaways after win over Ottawa Senators
The Blue Jackets' resilience is a big reason they've got five games left and haven't been eliminated from the playoff hunt in the NHL's Eastern Conference. Their odds of avoiding that fate are incredibly slim, but they're set on pushing hard until they're officially eliminated or run out of games, no matter which comes first. Advertisement That was evident in a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, where a crowd of 15,188 watched the Jackets' display more grit after losing three straight games. Facing a team that had already beaten them twice in Ottawa in the previous nine days, including a 4-0 loss Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre, the Blue Jackets never trailed. 'We know the situation we're in,' center Adam Fantilli said. 'We see the standings. We've still got to give ourselves the best chance to get in. We put ourselves in a tough position, but our goal is to win out the rest of the season, obviously, and put ourselves in the best position possible to get into the playoffs. That's still our goal.' Here are three takeaways: Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) fights for the puck with Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen (3) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. The Blue Jackets won 5-2. Columbus Blue Jackets still need a miracle to qualify for the playoffs Defeating Ottawa pulled the Blue Jackets even with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings at 79 points each. All three have five games left and now they're chasing just one final playoff spot controlled by the Montreal Canadiens — who are close to clinching the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Advertisement Montreal's victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday gave the East's first wild card to Ottawa, so it's now a four-team race for the second wild card with the Canadiens just one more win in regulation away from clinching it. The Blue Jackets likely need to win all five of their remaining games and hope the Canadiens, Rangers and Red Wings all stumble badly in their remaining games. The Jackets would cap out at 89 points in that scenario and would also need Montreal to finish with 89 points without adding another win in regulation — the NHL's primary standings tiebreaker. That's not impossible, of course, but it remains highly improbable. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) hits Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Mathieu Olivier is more than a heavy fist for the Columbus Blue Jackets Mathieu Olivier missed 28 of last season's first 53 games before playing the last 29 in a row. Only one of those 28 absences was due to injury, which means he was a healthy scratch for the other 27. Advertisement Olivier finished with 10 points on five goals and five assists, adding half of those points (four goals, one assist) in his finishing stretch of games while playing right wing on the fourth line. This season, Olivier has thrived offensively under new coach Dean Evason and new assistant Scott Ford — an assistant with the Milwaukee Admirals who'd coached the power forward at that level. Olivier displayed a little bit of everything he's capable of providing in the victory over the Senators. He set up the game's first goal with a great feed from behind the net to Dmitri Voronkov in the slot. His 18th goal was scored by putting himself into a great spot near the net before Erik Gudbranson fired a shot that Justin Danforth tipped for a redirection that bounced into the net off Olivier's left skate. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) and defenseman Tyler Kleven (43) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Olivier, the league's unofficial heavyweight champion, also threw his weight around while throwing Senators players around in scrums. If he can replicate this type of production throughout the six-year, $18 million contract extension he signed March 5, that deal will be quite a bargain for the Blue Jackets. Advertisement 'He's a very unique player,' coach Dean Evason said. '(That's) clearly why we signed him to a contract. He's a rare breed, for sure. Do we love that he can beat the snot out of people and be physical and still score goals and score assists and block shots and kill penalties? Yeah, that's good.' Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) scores a goal during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Depth scoring sparks Columbus Blue Jackets against Ottawa Senators The Blue Jackets' first two goals were scored by their third and fourth forward lines, but neither could be described as 'greasy' or 'dirty' unless using the latter term in conjunction with the world 'dangle' following it. Voronkov's goal was scored seven minutes into the first period with a one-timer off Olivier's feed to end the Jackets' scoring drought at 159:04 and his personal drought at 16 games. Justin Danforth made it 2-0 with 3:22 left in the first on the type of goal he used to score quite a bit in stops along his NHL path. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) celebrates scoring a goal with fan Scott Collins of Lewis Center during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Getting the puck on the right wing in the neutral zone off a long clearing flip by rookie Denton Mateychuk, Danforth skated it into a 2-on-2 rush, dangled the puck to avoid a stick check in the slot and fired a wrist shot over goalie Anton Forsberg's glove for his ninth goal. Advertisement After watching the puck zip under the crossbar, Danforth turned around with his arms wide and skated to the left wing for a "fist bump" with Scott Collins of Lewis Center, a Blue Jackets fan who recorded it with his phone. 'I've scored some goals in my years,' Danforth said. 'It was nice to score a goal that wasn't in the paint tonight (the crease), so it felt good. Great play by (Mateychuk) and (Zach Aston-Reese) driving the net, opening it up for me. It was a great team goal.' Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@ and @ Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets' win over Ottawa Senators
