R.J. Umberger has 3 goals and an assist as Blue Jackets end 5-game losing skid, 5-2 over Blues

Umberger’s trick helps Columbus end 5-game skid

COLUMBUS, Ohio — R.J. Umberger scored three goals for his second career hat trick to lead Columbus past the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Monday night, ending the Blue Jackets’ five-game losing skid.

Steve Mason stopped 27 shots, including Paul Kariya’s wrister from the high slot with just over a minute left that would have tied it. Antoine Vermette and Umberger each had empty-net goals in the final minute.

Kris Russell had a goal and an assist. Vermette and Umberger also each had an assist.

Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya scored for the Blues, who were starting a three-game trip.

The Blue Jackets had led on each stop of a season-long five-game road trip, only to lose. They returned home to play eight of the next 11.

At the 5:20 mark of the third period, with the score tied at 2, Derick Brassard carried the puck up the right wall while being muscled by defenseman Jonas Junland, who had been called up by the Blues earlier in the day. Brassard was able to slide the puck with only his right hand on the stick toward the slot, where Umberger was crashing the net. He chipped the puck past Chris Mason — no relation to Steve — who would finish with 22 saves.

With the game barely 2 minutes old, Russell deked B.J. Crombeen and then netted a rising shot from the left circle for his first goal of the season.

Another 2 minutes later, Jakub Voracek streaked down the right boards, stopped, and then saucered a perfect pass past a defenseman to Umberger, who redirected the puck for his seventh of the year and first of the night.

The Blues killed a double-minor soon after that, then narrowed the gap to a goal with 9.4 seconds left in the period. With the Blues on the power play, Columbus defenseman Jan Hejda attempted to clear the puck along the boards but Johnson intercepted it at the left blue line. He then rocketed a shot that hit off Steve Mason’s glove and into the net.

Midway through the second period, the Blues got the equalizer on a play identical to the ones that resulted in Umberger’s first two goals. T.J. Oshie raced along the right boards and feathered a pass by defenseman Fedor Tyutin. The tape-to-tape pass went to Kariya in the slot for an easy redirect.

NOTES: The Blues called up Junland earlier in the day from Peoria of the AHL. … Columbus D Rostislav Klesla was hurt in a first-period collision with Barret Jackman and was helped off after laying on the ice for several minutes. … St. Louis had won five of six meetings between the Central Division rivals a year ago. … Umberger’s only other three-goal game came on Dec. 11, 2007, against Pittsburgh while he was playing for Philadelphia.