It's never a bad time to score your first career NHL goal. Especially when it comes in a win.
That's what Mikael Pyyhtia did as his goal came in the waning minutes of a 6-1 win for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night over the Edmonton Oilers.
Adam Fantilli predicted Mikael Pyyhtias first career goal tonight: I told him I was thinking about it all day. He had to get one tonight.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 29, 2024
A beaming Pyyhtia postgame: I felt that too in the morning. It feels awesome. Youll remember it all of your life. #CBJ
The marker at 15:15 gave Columbus its fifth goal of the evening via the centering pass by Adam Fantilli, who had a two-point night. Cole Sillinger picked up the secondary assist for his third point of the night.
Mikael Pyyhtia with his first NHL goal!
— NHL (@NHL) October 29, 2024
Congrats, Mikael! pic.twitter.com/qt3vwqc3rL
The line of Pyyhtia - Fantilli - Sillinger thrived as the trio combined for three goals and six points on five shots in the win.
Fantilli's goal at 10:44 of the first period made it 2-0 Columbus.
Adam Fantilli with his third of the season #ProBlue pic.twitter.com/yvvooNx4eK
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) October 28, 2024
Sillinger picked up the assist on the play before his unassisted goal at 14:32 made it 3-0.
Cole Sillinger's goal that gave the #CBJ a 3-0 lead. Fantilli gets the primary assist his second point of the night. Werenski the secondary assist, his second point of the night, too. pic.twitter.com/yU4bnpxWi4
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 28, 2024
"To actually be on a line, (Fantilli and I) were pretty pumped this morning," Sillinger said. "Obviously, we have chemistry and we complement each other well so I thought we showed that well tonight.
"We both want it for each other, both want to do well, we want this team to do well so it's nice for us to click, we just got to keep that going."
It's nice to see different lines complimenting each other and playing so well. It's especially nice when the team continues to get off to hot starts like Monday and in every win this year — four total to this point — they've scored six goals per win.
"It's just kind of a feeling in the locker room," Fantilli said. "Like we're all playing for each other, we're playing for the logo on the front and hot starts are a part of that. Our guys that have been the starting lineup have come out strong."
Having Pyyhtia - Fantilli - Sillinger as a line allowed Yegor Chinakhov to rejoin Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko on the top line, giving the Blue Jackets two potentially powerful lines to start.
"Obviously, that line has done a lot," Fantilli said. "Anytime you can have waves of offense coming in like that it's going to be great and playing with Sillinger and (Pyyhtia) is hopefully something that we can have there and establish that first two lines of offense."
Among the reasons for the Blue Jackets' high-scoring attack as compared to last year?
"We're playing a more aggressive style," Fantilli said. "I feel like we're getting up the ice and we call it being on the Jacket side but we're tight. It's not like we're sagging back and being three high and trying to stay far away just to be on the defensive side.
"We're getting up and trying to kill their offense as early as possible so we can get on ours."
Through all eight games this season, Pyyhtia has five shots on net and all five have come in the past two games with two on Monday and three over the weekend in Nashville.
"Everyone told me 'shoot more, shoot more, you have a good shot,' Pyyhtia said. "Now I've shot more and it came."
Then he paused for comedic timing.
"So yeah, probably need to shoot more."
Cole Sillinger on Mikael Pyyhtia's first career goal: "Every game, we sit beside each other taping our sticks and doing all that, I'm like, 'You gonna get one tonight, Pits?' He always tells me yes. Tonight, he didn't lie to me." #CBJ pic.twitter.com/jqUF52HhCT
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 29, 2024
We'll see if this line stays together and continues the scoring when they play on Wed., Oct. 30, against the New York Islanders at 7:00 p.m. ET.
