NEW YORK ― It's only taken Adam Fantilli 15 games to look as comfortable in the NHL with the Blue Jackets as anywhere else he's played.
Each new shift for the third overall pick of this year's draft brings out new levels of confidence in the 19-year old center, and each new stage adds excitement. It happened again Sunday at Madison Square Garden, where Fantilli shined in the Jackets' crushing 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Rangers .
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His unassisted goal to tie it, 2-2, in the second period was a jaw-dropper, but it wasn't the only indicator of an Alpha Male projection atop the Blue Jackets ' lineup. Fantilli also dished out high-level passes, won puck battles and refused to accept another bitter loss as a crumb the Jackets should follow.
"Yeah, we've got a young team, but that does not matter," he said. "I hate losing. I never want to lose. I don't want to get used to losing. I'm not happy about it. I'm not happy about the series of losses that we've had. We're a young team, but we're extremely skilled and I think we have a lot better than what we're showing."
Fantilli was just as feisty in the first period.
After Jacob Trouba laid out Kirill Marchenko with a huge open-ice hit, Fantilli stepped up for his teammate by confronting one of the NHL's surliest defensemen.
It was an instinctual reaction.
"I want to be able to be helpful in all situations, and that goes for my teammates," Fantilli said. "I thought (the hit) was a little bit questionable, so I had to get in there. Obviously, I know who he is. I know when I'm going there ... there's a chance it could go south for me. But sometimes it's got to happen."
Fantilli didn't accept Trouba's invitation to drop the gloves, but did make his feelings known. That's the "snarl" that had draft analysts and NHL amateur scouts fawning over Fantilli last summer, and it's already evident.
It's not just confronting people, either.
Fantilli is doing things that don't get tracked statistically too. He's showing leadership in a top-six role, isn't afraid to speak freely with teammates, coaches, officials or media, and his confidence is surging with the puck on his stick.
"It's the best league in the world," Fantilli said. "I'm still getting comfortable. I'm still feeling it out … what works, what doesn't work. It's a completely different game than the college game. I'm starting to get there. I'm starting to feel confident more and more every game."
Winning faceoffs is a challenge, but that's no different than most rookie centers. Fantilli will grow quickly in that area too, as he quickly morphs into a game-breaking No. 1 center the Blue Jackets need him to become.
"I'm doing video as much as I can," Fantilli said. "I'm watching myself, watching where I'm making mistakes and trying to fix those in games. I'm noticing it on the bench, something I could've done better, and then going out the next shift and trying to fix it. That is something I've been focusing on."
It's already paying off.
Here's what else we learned Sunday in New York:
The Blue Jackets' struggle to close out games continued against the Rangers, who got a 6-on-5 tying goal from Alexis Lafreniere with just 11 seconds left in regulation.
It was Lafreniere's second goal of the night, seventh of the season and a prelude to one he scored in the third round of the shootout to decide the game's second point. It was also the fifth time in only 15 games the Blue Jackets have allowed a tying goal in the third period that pushed the game past regulation. It's part of the process to become a contender in the NHL, but it's not fun.
"I think we can use it to our advantage," center Sean Kuraly said. "You've got a team that's pressing for a goal. If you play it right, you get your own (scoring) chances. We've just got to learn to stay patient. We did a better job of it tonight, (but) to let one in with 11 seconds doesn't feel good. You're 11 seconds away and all you're thinking is, 'Is there one more battle I could've won to get the puck out?' and you've got to live with it."
Winning key faceoffs, for example.
The Blue Jackets won just 36% of the draws against the Rangers, but several late in the third period carried more weight. New York pinned the puck into the Columbus zone, built a whopping 17-3 edge in shots and eventually got Lafreniere's tying 6-on-5 goal.
The Jackets kept most of the Rangers' shots in that stretch to the outside, which was impressive, but it's tempting fate to give an NHL team that's pushing for a tying goal that much possession time. Boone Jenner and Sean Kuraly both lost draws in the game's final minute, which likely ate both of them up on the flight home.
Centers aren't the only players responsible for winning faceoffs, though. It takes dedication by wingers and defensemen too.
"Winning a faceoff would be great," coach Pascal Vincent said. We've got to win some faceoffs. Those moments … special teams, 5-on-6, 6-on-5, these are key moments. That's a team that can score some goals from different angles, but I would say winning faceoffs (would help)."
Along with Fantilli's growth, the Blue Jackets' fourth line was another bright spot Sunday night.
Alexander Texier, Kuraly and Justin Danforth provide an intriguing mix of skill, grit and experience that paid off in both games this past weekend. Kuraly scored go-ahead goals against the Red Wings and Rangers, increasing his total to five for the year, while Danforth scored his fourth and Texier had an assist.
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It's a significantly different approach than when Vincent puts power forward Mathieu Olivier at right wing on that line, but he can score goals too.
"We're working on our game together here," Danforth said. "We know where (we're) going to be. 'Tex' has a bunch of skill. We play a very simple game, try to get pucks in, win them back and get to the net. Then, (after) we turn pucks over, we can make plays. It's been fun playing with him the last couple games."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What we're learning about Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli
