Columbus Blue Jackets preseason: Fantilli, Olivier lead the way past Washington Capitals

Adam Fantilli shook off a lot of rust in one delayed game.

More: Adam Fantilli shaking off rust in second camp with Columbus Blue Jackets

After struggling with his timing in the Blue Jackets’ preseason opener Monday in Buffalo , a 6-1 loss, the highly talented second-year center led the way to an 8-4 victory Friday with a hat trick against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.

Mathieu Olivier added two more goals for the Blue Jackets (2-1-0), who were forced to sit on their charter plane in Columbus for three hours before traveling to a game that was twice delayed.

“That was a little weird, but we had a lot of fun with it,” Fantilli said. “We all got in there and were like, ‘When was the last time you dressed out of your bag for a game?’ So, we had a lot of fun with it.”

Olivier’s goals were his second and third of the preseason (two game), while Cole Sillinger, James Malatesta and Mikael Pyyhtia scored the other three. Pyyhtia added an assist for a two-point night and r ookie Gavin Brindley finished with two points on two assists.

Nine Blue Jackets finished with at least a point in a balanced offensive performance, while goalies Daniil Tarasov and Pavel Cajan combined to stop 22 of 26 shots. The game’s start was delayed by the Blue Jackets’ travel issues. The original start time was 7 p.m., but was first pushed back to 8:15 p.m. and then 8:39 p.m. before the puck finally dropped.

The Blue Jackets host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at Nationwide Arena in their fourth preseason game. The Sabres’ NHL squad is in Europe for the NHL’s global series, so the team that Buffalo brings will be comprised of prospects and AHL players.

The Capitals, who played NHL goalie Charlie Lindgren, iced a roster with eight NHL players. Alex Ovechkin was one of them, and scored 6:58 into the game to give Washington a 1-0 lead. That turned was the Capitals’ only lead, and it didn’t last long.

Fantilli scored the first of his three goals at 10:47 of the first to tie it 1-1 before James Malatesta put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 three minutes later. Jakub Vrana tied it 2-2 for the Capitals with 5:59 left in the opening period, but Olivier and Fantilli scored the next two on breakaways in the second for a 4-2 Columbus lead.

Dylan Strome and Pyyhtia exchanged goals in the second, giving the Blue Jackets a 5-3 lead before the Capitals pulled within 5-4 on Jakob Chychrun’s tally midway into the third. Fantilli's third goal plus empty-netters from Sillinger and Olivier sealed the Jackets' victory.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets preseason: Fantilli, Olivier lead the way past Washington Capitals