Fantilli scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Blues.
Fantilli has four goals and two assists over his last five games, his most productive stretch of the campaign. The 19-year-old center needed some time to acclimate to the NHL, but he's doing well so far. The rookie is at eight goals, 16 points, 74 shots on net, 22 hits and a minus-8 rating over 29 contests this season. He trails only Connor Bedard (21 points) in the rookie scoring race.
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Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli: Scores twice in defeat
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Fantilli scored two goals on three shots and added an assist against the Islanders on Thursday.
Fantilli recorded his first multi-goal game of his NHL career and currently sits tied for second in rookie scoring behind Connor Bedard (21) with his 15 points. While it seems unlikely that Fantilli will be taking home the Calder Trophy this season, he should be capable of reaching the 40-point threshold at a minimum.
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Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli: Finds twine Friday
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Fantilli scored a goal on two shots, blocked three shots and added two PIM in Friday's 4-2 win over the Senators.
Fantilli's second-period tally stood as the game-winner. The 19-year-old had been stuck in a rut recently, finishing November with just one assist and a minus-8 rating over his last nine games. Hot and cold stretches are bound to happen for a player that was just drafted in June. Fantilli has done fairly well with 11 points, 63 shots on net, 18 hits, 12 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 25 contests in a middle-six role so far.
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Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli: Tickles twine in Detroit
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Fantilli scored his third goal of the season in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Red Wings.
The 19-year-old got plenty of experience scoring goals in Michigan during his one NCAA season for the Wolverines, and Fantilli added another in Little Caesers Arena with an amazing display of hand-eye coordination late in the first period -- a Kirill Marchenko snapshot went wide of the Wings' net, caromed off the end boards and came out the other side, and Fantilli coolly batted it out of mid-air and past Ville Husso. The 2023 third overall pick is up to eight points in his first 14 NHL games, and even with Patrik Laine (upper body) back in the lineup Saturday, Fantilli took a regular shift on the Blue Jackets' top power-play unit.
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Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli: Nets first NHL goal
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Fantilli scored his first NHL goal in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over Minnesota.
He scored on a wrist shot over Filip Gustavsson's glove on the power play late in the third period. The goal gave Columbus a 4-3 lead. Fantilli is the second-youngest player in Blue Jackets history to score in his first career road game (Rostislav Klesla -- 18 years, 205 days; Oct. 12, 2000).
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Blue Jackets' Adam Fantilli: Two helpers in preseason debut
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Fantilli collected two assists, one shorthanded, in a 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins in preseason action Sunday.
Beginning the split-squad game on a line with Patrik Laine and Alexandre Texier, Fantilli made an immediate impact in the Blue Jackets' lineup. His first helper came early in the first period after Texier slid home the rebound on a Fantilli shot, while his second highlighted both his skill and his compete level. The third overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft pounced on a loose puck in the second frame with the Jackets down a man, drew a defender to him in the Penguins' zone and then dropped a backhand pass to a wide-open Carson Meyer in the slot for Columbus' third goal of the night. The fact that new head coach Pascal Vincent is already giving Fantilli a look on the penalty kill is very encouraging for his potential usage as a rookie, and the 18-year-old seems headed for a top-six role with a strong training camp.
