Adam Fantilli blows the Leafs off of his driveway, Jackets win in overtime

Last night's win in Toronto is one that we might remember for a long time. Not because the Blue Jackets won big, or that this was a super meaningful game. This one is memorable because it might have been the best game of Adam Fantilli's career so far.

I wouldn't exactly call it a "coming out party", since Adam scored 31 goals and 54 points last season. But, it was a little bit of a coming out party if we're being honest.

Since being promoted to the top line, Adam has been red hot. He now has 11 points (6 goals) in his last 10 games. Suddenly, he's up to 16 points in 21 games.

Things were really starting to look up for him before last night's puck dropped. Still, I don't think anybody was expecting him to do what he did.

Jet Greaves gave them a chance early.

Another sluggish start looked to be dooming the Blue Jackets early. They were out-shot 12-4 in the first period, and did not have a single scoring chance at the Toronto end.

Fortunately, their young goaltender was outstanding. Jet Greaves made several big saves, including a few second and third chance opportunities. He gave this team a chance to wake up and get their legs moving.

It took them a while, but finally they were able to do so. Dmitri Voronkov scored the game's first goal 3:17 into the second period. The goal was credited to Big Boss, who went to the front of the net and did the dirty work.

But let's be honest: this play was all Kirill Marchenko, Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli. They cycled the puck and wore out the Toronto defense. They made some great passes, and Fantilli fired a world class shot that went in off of Voronkov's pants.

Still, I don't think the Jackets had quite found their game at that point. The Leafs continued to play in the CBJ end quite a bit. But Greaves stood tall, and his team did exactly what I mentioned as one of their keys to the game yesterday: they took advantage of a mistake.

The Maple Leafs failed to get the puck deep after a long shift in their own end, and the Blue Jackets took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone. Werenski fed the puck ahead, and Fantilli did the rest; scoring the team's second goal off the far post and in with a world class shot.

Fantilli's overall game really shined.

The Leafs worked hard last night and did eventually tie this game up. The tying goal did come with Fantilli's line freshly on the ice in the third period, which was a bummer.

But if you go back and watch the tape, you will see a player that has started to figure this game out on both sides of the puck. Adam had a couple of shifts in the second period where the Leafs were really pressing and could have scored goals, but he was the difference maker.

He was active in the defensive zone, using his size and strength to take away options, and even broke up one high danger chance with a timely stick lift.

As a result, he was rewarded with more than 22 minutes of ice time on the night; third on the team behind only Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov.

It paid off. Fantilli put this team on his back and scored an absolute beauty of a goal to win the game in overtime. Our own Mike Stump wondered if this might be a top-25 goal in CBJ history. It would be hard to argue against that.

I would rank Fantilli's individual performance last night as one of the best in franchise history, for sure. This game reminded me a lot of game 3 of the 2020 playoff bubble, where you-know-who had his coming out party for the Jackets.

What is it about playing the Leafs in Toronto?

The game winning goal last night certainly shared some similarities. Also, side note: how about the call from Steve Mears on this one?

This was a much needed victory for the Blue Jackets, who earn two important points in the standings on a night where they didn't bring anywhere near their "A" game. At least, not outside of Jet Greaves, Zach Werenski, and the top line.

Hopefully they can spring forward with some momentum, starting tomorrow afternoon in Detroit.