Fantilli scores 1st hat trick, Blue Jackets defeat Maple Leafs

Luca Del Bel Belluz had a objective and an help, and Elvis Merzlikins made 29 saves for the Blue Jackets (23-18-7), who’re 7-1-1 of their previous 9.

“It’s large,” stated Del Bel Belluz, who additionally grew up close to Toronto in Woodbridge, Ontario. “There was much more on the road with a pair guys being from the Toronto space. It was only a good group win, all of us did it collectively from the goalie out, we have been clicking on all cylinders. It was enjoyable.”

Auston Matthews scored for a fifth straight recreation, and Dennis Hildeby made 14 saves for the Maple Leafs (30-17-2), who had gained three in a row.

“I favored our begin, thought we had an actual good first interval,” Toronto coach Craig Berube stated. “We have been down 1-0, short-handed objective. We managed the second interval just about offensively, within the offensive zone. They go down, one alternative and so they rating once more. We had a whole lot of shot makes an attempt and so they blocked a whole lot of pictures (25), however we might have been a little bit bit extra direct with our offense.”

Merzlikins saved it 0-0 at 8:24 of the primary interval when he made a glove save on William Nylander on a breakaway.

“There have been a pair shifts there the place we acquired hemmed in and he was the spine there for us making some large saves,” Del Bel Belluz stated of Merzlikins. “It was an excellent efficiency by him, simply particular.”

The Blue Jackets went up 1-0 at 15:40 when Fantilli scored a short-handed objective, taking pictures over Hildeby’s blocker from simply contained in the left face-off circle.

Toronto went 0-for-3 on the ability play, together with two alternatives within the first interval.

“There was perhaps a little bit bit an excessive amount of motion I believed,” stated Matthews, the Maple Leafs captain. “Their penalty kill specifically performs a little bit bit tighter, and we have been so much on the skin, not sufficient on the within. Their goalie made some good saves, they blocked some pictures. I believed we might have performed a greater job of 1, two passes and attempt to ship it. It was an excessive amount of on the skin, an excessive amount of passing with actually making nothing occur.”

James van Riemsdyk pushed it to 2-0 at 13:40 of the second interval, taking a go from Del Bel Belluz and taking pictures from the low slot.

Fantilli made it 3-0 at 15:21 when he put in a free puck together with the web after Dmitri Voronkov dug the puck free from a scramble on the prime of the objective crease.

Del Bel Belluz, who was taking part in his first NHL recreation in Toronto and in addition had a number of household and pals in attendance, prolonged the result in 4-0 at 5:56 of the third interval. After van Riemsdyk gained a battle for a free puck behind the web in opposition to Connor Timmins, Del Bel Belluz acquired to it and jammed it in together with the web.

“It’s particular with lots of people within the crowd supporting me,” Del Bel Belluz stated. “It’s good to offer them one, one thing they will bear in mind from this recreation, so it was simply tremendous enjoyable.”