Ryan Leonard had a scary moment against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
While going for a loose puck between the circles late in the first period, Leonard was lit up by Blue Jackets’ center Adam Fantilli with a big hit. Leonard crumpled to the ice with the back of his head striking the playing surface. The Blue Jackets immediately reversed the puck the other way where Fantilli would score on a layup seconds later to make it 3-0.
Once Leonard was able to get up, he woozily made his way down the tunnel to the locker room. Tom Wilson would argue the call from the bench where he’d be whistled for a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute misconduct. Fantilli’s hit was both clean and legal.
Leonard returned to the game for the start of the second period. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that Leonard was put through concussion protocol.
The 20-year-old Leonard later dropped the gloves for his first NHL fight after taking a big hit from Sean Kuraly.
“Yeah, I mean, I was just backchecking and the puck squirted out and he reached for it,” Fantilli said during the second intermission with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. “I was reaching for it and I didn’t want to be the one to go down so I kind of followed through with it and then went back the other way. KJ (Kent Johnson) made a nice pass and I was able to finish.”
When Fantilli was asked what he was more proud of, the goal or the hit, he responded, “Definitely the goal, got us on the board. That was a big goal to go up three.”
Leonard, the Capitals’ 2023 first-round pick, has had a whirlwind last 24 hours. He attended the 2025 Hobey Baker Award Presentation in St. Louis, Missouri the night before where he was a finalist. After ultimately not winning the award, he then flew to Columbus late in the night to make it for the matinee game on Saturday.
