LAS VEGAS — Cole Sillinger, who had been sidelined for three games due to an upper-body injury, made a significant comeback by scoring the winning goal just 52 seconds into overtime, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 2-1 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

In the match, Adam Fantilli, celebrating his 100th career game, also contributed to the Blue Jackets’ score, while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made an impressive 25 saves.

For the Golden Knights, Tomas Hertl achieved his 20th goal of the season and continued to shine, extending his point streak to 11 games, which includes nine goals and six assists. This streak is just one game shy of the franchise record set by Jack Eichel earlier in the season, marking the longest active streak in the NHL. Hertl has also netted eight goals over his last eight games.

Columbus has performed well recently, securing points in 10 out of their last 12 games, with a notable record of 9-2-1 during this stretch.

The Golden Knights earned a point from the game, allowing them to maintain a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers, both teams sitting at 68 points.

Eichel’s personal scoring streak ended, as he failed to score during this matchup, marking the conclusion of his three-game goal streak and seven-game point streak.

**Takeaways**

For the Blue Jackets, they effectively withstood a strong initial assault from Vegas, which boasted an 8-2 advantage in high-danger chances at one point yet only managed a single goal lead.

The Golden Knights focused heavily on their top two lines, which totaled 25 scoring chances, compared to Columbus’ 17. However, the Blue Jackets excelled with their lower lines, outpacing Vegas with an 11-4 advantage in that area.

**Key Moment**

Towards the end of the first period, it seemed the Golden Knights would enter the intermission with a 1-0 advantage. However, an error by goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who failed to secure the puck in the crease, allowed Fantilli to dig it out, resulting in a goal with just 1:26 remaining.

**Key Stat**

Merzlikins recorded his 87th career victory, tying him with Joonas Korpisalo for the third-most wins in Blue Jackets franchise history.

**Up Next**

The Blue Jackets are set to play in Utah on Friday night, while the Golden Knights will take on the New York Rangers on Sunday evening.