Kent Johnson Drives Columbus Blue Jackets’ Overtime Win Over Vegas

Columbus earned a hard-fought overtime win over Vegas, with Kent Johnson shaping both of the Blue Jackets’ goals and Cam Talbot holding firm through a demanding third period. The result offered a useful measure of what this group can do when its forwards contribute across the lineup and the team stays committed to its defensive work.

The Blue Jackets didn’t control every stretch. Vegas pushed the pace late, created chances and forced Columbus to defend for extended periods. Talbot’s 26 saves kept the game level after the Golden Knights tied it in the first period, and his stop on Jack Eichel in the closing minutes of regulation helped send the game to overtime.

Columbus made its chances count

The opening goal came from an unusual bounce. A Vegas clearing attempt struck the opening in the corner where a photographer’s camera is positioned, sending the puck back into play. Valeri Nichushkin gathered it and found Johnson, who had a clear view of the offensive zone. Johnson moved the puck to Denton Mateychuk, and the defenseman finished on his backhand to put Columbus ahead.

Vegas answered a little more than six minutes later. Tomas Hertl scored on a rebound after a rush, leveling the game. That was the last goal in regulation. The two teams went scoreless for the next 43 minutes, though the tie owed plenty to Talbot’s work as the Knights found more room to attack in the third.

Talbot’s contribution went beyond keeping the score close. On the play that led to Hertl’s goal, he had just stopped an earlier chance before Vegas recovered the rebound. Columbus could have let that sequence define the night, but instead it stayed in the game and got the chance to finish in overtime.

Johnson creates the overtime opening

Columbus began the extra period with Sean Monahan and Charlie Coyle on the ice. After winning the faceoff, the team made a quick change, sending Matthew Knies on for Monahan and looking for a long pass up ice. That stretch pass drew a penalty on Shea Theodore and gave the Blue Jackets a four-on-three power play.

The opportunity mattered for a team that had gone 22 power-play chances without scoring. Columbus broke through on the four-on-three, with Johnson again driving the sequence. He carried the puck across the blue line, drew two Vegas penalty killers toward him, then slipped a pass behind his back and through Eichel’s legs to Coyle. Coyle fed Adam Fantilli, who one-timed the puck home for the winner.

Johnson’s impact wasn’t limited to the two assists. He was active on the puck, won battles and showed the patience to hold possession while teammates moved into position. My read is that his performance stood out because he paired the skill plays with steady work away from the puck. The points tell part of the story; his ability to keep the play alive helped Columbus build both scoring chances.

Four lines and a steadier team effort

The Blue Jackets got contributions from all four lines, a welcome development early in the season. Their approach called for smart decisions with the puck and dependable coverage without it. Against a Vegas team capable of dictating the pace, Columbus had to keep returning to those details whenever momentum shifted.

That response may be the most useful takeaway from the win. Goaltending can swing a close game, and Talbot delivered it here. But the team’s ability to stay with its structure gave him a chance to make those saves and gave the forwards enough time to find a decisive play. Columbus won’t get this precise mix every night, but the commitment to its system is something it can carry forward.

A defensive mistake still needs attention

Carson Soucy’s role on Hertl’s goal will draw scrutiny. On the initial play, Soucy tried to handle the puck in the neutral zone and turned it over. Columbus had support behind the play, with four defenders back against three Vegas attackers, so the turnover didn’t have to become a scoring chance.

The breakdown continued as Vegas came in on a soft two-on-one. Soucy needed to account for the third attacker while Kent Johnson tracked back and Erik Gudbranson defended the rush. The coverage failed, and Talbot had to make a strong save. Soucy then over-skated the loose puck and lost track of his assignment, who was positioned to shoot. The rebound ended up in the net.

That sequence leaves a clear coaching question: Columbus has to turn a manageable defensive situation into a clean stop, particularly when it has numbers back. Talbot rescued the team from one chance before the rebound beat him, but the larger lesson is about coverage and puck management. The Blue Jackets can take the two points and still expect more from that defensive group.

Columbus next hopes Dante Fabbro will be ready for Tuesday. His availability could affect the defense choices, but the immediate standard is already clear: keep the team game that carried the Blue Jackets through a difficult matchup, while cleaning up the kind of breakdown that gave Vegas its goal.