Maple Leafs Suffer 5-1 Defeat Against Blue Jackets
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By Milica Zivic
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Summary:
- Adam Fantilli’s first career hat trick in the Columbus Blue Jackets game against the Toronto Maple Leafs led to a commanding 5-1 victory.
- The Leafs’ only goal came from Auston Matthews; goaltender Dennis Hildeby made 14 saves.
- The loss stopped Toronto’s three-game winning streak
Adam Fantilli celebrated a major milestone on Wednesday night, netting his first NHL career hat trick as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1.
Toronto’s Auston Matthews was the lone scorer for the Leafs (30-17-2), while Dennis Hildeby recorded 14 saves. Ryan Reaves was involved in his first fight of the year after being criticized by fans and pundits for avoid a face-off before today. He squared off against Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier early in the first period which seemed to fire up the Leafs briefly.
First Career Hat Trick for Fentilli
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Toronto, who had previously suffered a 6-2 defeat on the road to Columbus earlier this season last October.
Nobleton-born Adam Fentilli (20) played in front of 70 friends and family at Scotiabank Arena and didn’t waste any time making his presence felt on the ice.
After opening the scoring, he struck again in the second period to extend Columbus’ lead to 3-0.
While Matthews managed to put Toronto on the board late and restore hope, Fantilli pulled a hat trick with an empty-netter as Hildeby was pulled for an extra skater.
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins’s performance also proved instrumental to the Blue Jackets’ victory.
The 30-year-old, born in Riga, Latvia, managed to stop no less than 28 shots.
Luca Del Bel Belluz, a native of Woodbridge, Ontario, scored a goal in the third, effectively sealing the win at 4-0.
James van Riemsdyk also contributed to the Blue Jackets’ scoring effort.
With this win, Columbus improved to 23-18-7 and climbed into the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. The team has been on a roll, earning points in eight of their last nine games (7-1-1).
Matthew Knies Suffered an Injury
Left winger Matthew Knies the home game following a tough fall in the second period and did not return. The team later confirmed he was sidelined with an upper-body injury.
With under three minutes left in the second and Toronto trailing 3-0, Knies attempted to deliver a hit on Columbus winger Kirill Marchenko.
However, the 22-year-old got tangled up during the collision and fell awkwardly to the ice. He did not return for the third period, and Nick Robertson was promoted to his spot on the top line.
The second-round pick in the 2021 draft has been a consistent presence for the Leafs this season, tallying 31 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 46 games.
Until Wednesday, he had yet to miss a game in the 2024-25 campaign.
The injury came at an unfortunate time for Knies, who entered the game riding momentum from a standout performance on Monday when he notched two goals and an assist in Toronto’s 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The performance marked his second-best outing of the season.
Before his sudden exit, Knies had only logged 13:41 of ice time, recorded one shot, and registered three hits.
Following the Leafs’ 5-1 defeat to Columbus, head coach Craig Berube did not provide an immediate update on Knies’ condition but indicated that more information would be available on Thursday.
Up next, Toronto will face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, while the Blue Jackets will wrap up their four-game road trip on Thursday when they will play against the Carolina Hurricanes.
