Fantilli, slumping Blue Jackets circle 'big game' vs. Maple Leafs

The Columbus Blue Jackets' playoff chances took a major blow on Thursday, suffering a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.

That loss makes their upcoming game against the Toronto Maple Leafs that much more important for the team, including forward Adam Fantilli.

Fantilli joined First Up on TSN1050 Friday morning to discuss the fallout from the loss to Colorado, the magnitude of the game against the Maple Leafs on Saturday, and the job new head coach Dean Evason has done this season.

The Blue Jackets took a 3-2 lead on a Boone Jenner goal early in the second period against Colorado before the visiting Avalanche unleashed a barrage of goals - including three in the final eight minutes of the second period.

"Last night got a little bit away from us," Fantilli said. "We started great, I liked our start. A couple bounces didn't go our way and I think we tried to cheat a little bit, find some ways to score and they took advantage of it a little bit."

Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar scored his 30th goal of the season near the end of the second period, a feat last accomplished in 2009 by Mike Green with the Washington Capitals. Fantilli called Makar a "dangerous player" but had hoped for different circumstances to see Makar achieve that milestone: "It was cool to see him get his 30th goal there, but definitely not what I wanted to see [against us]."

The attention shifts now to Saturday's game against Toronto (46-25-4), who are fighting to win their first-ever Atlantic Division title. The last time the Maple Leafs won a division title was in 2020-21, when they won the North Division in the temporary realignment of divisions due to COVID 19 pandemic travel restrictions. Before that, their latest title was in the Northeast Division in 1999-00.

"We have to refocus for Toronto [on Saturday], it's a big game, all these points really matter for us so just doing everything we can to try to make sure we're in this sprint to try to get in the playoffs here," Fantilli said.

The Blue Jackets (34-31-9) have fallen to the outskirts of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, with wins in three of their last 10 games. They enter play on Friday trailing the Montreal Canadiens by four points for the final wild-card slot, also trailing the New York Rangers by two points - with a game in hand over both sides.

Columbus has been in control in two games against the Maple Leafs this season, with a 6-2 victory in October and a 5-1 victory in January in which Fantilli scored his first career hat trick in the NHL.

"We've fared well against them recently, and I like the way our team matches, so I'm expecting us to come out hard tomorrow," said Fantilli. "We had a tough game against Colorado and we're going to come out and do everything that we can to try to get a win."

Despite the success in head-to-head matchups, Fantilli knows how the different intensity level on the doorstep of the playoffs can change the game on the ice.

"[The Maple Leafs are] in a position where they have to keep winning games as well. They're already in the playoffs and they're fighting for a good spot and we're just fighting to get in there," Fantilli said. "This point in the season is a sprint, I don't think it really matters who you're playing against, everyone's going to be giving their best game."

Fantilli, a third overall pick in the 2023 draft, is enjoying his best season in the NHL.

He's already set career highs in games played (74), goals (24) and points (47). He gives a lot of credit to Evason, who was hired by the team in July to replace Pascal Vincent.

Evason faced an unimaginable tragedy with the team before they played their first game with him behind the bench: star forward Johnny Gaudreau died in an accident, along with his brother Matthew, on August 29 when they were struck by a driver while biking home.

"Evason's been great. Obviously he came into a tough situation with everything that happened with Johnny [Gaudreau] and having a lot of new faces - he's done a great job. He's a lot of fun to be around at the rink," Fantilli said. "He's helped me a lot, put me in positions to succeed, I'm grateful for that. He's done a great job this year, all the guys love playing for him and playing a little extra harder for him as well."

The Blue Jackets have eight games remaining on the schedule to complete the push and return to the NHL playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.