Columbus 5, St. Louis 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 31, 2012
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees:
David Banfield, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Vaughan Rody
Attendance:
19150
By SportsDirect Inc.
BLUE JACKETS 5, BLUES 2: Red-hot R.J. Umberger scored a pair of goals to power visiting Columbus, but host St. Louis still managed to clinch the Central Division title.
Despite a loss to the league's worst team, the Blues won their first division title since 1999-2000 when Nashville lost to Chicago 5-4 on Saturday night.
Allen York made 34 saves to post his third straight victory in his third career start as the Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to three games.
Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett and Vinny Prospal scored for Columbus, which snapped St. Louis' four-game home winning streak and dropped the Blues to 30-5-4 at Scottrade Center.
Jaroslav Halak was pierced for four goals on 32 shots to fall to 10-1-0 in his last 11 home starts as the Blues lost to Columbus for only the third time in 16 home games (13-2-1).
Umberger scored on a breakaway in the first period and on a power play in the second to stake the Blue Jackets to a 3-1 lead. He has eight goals in his last six games.
David Perron pulled the Blues within a goal with a shorthanded tally five minutes later, but Dorsett's power-play tally midway through the third period restored the two-goal cushion.
GAME NOTEBOOK: LW Andy McDonald, RW Matt D’Agostini and D Romak Polak returned to the lineup for St. Louis, marking the first time in 160 games the team has had its entire roster healthy. ... Umberger needs one more goal for his fourth consecutive season with at least 20. His power-play tally was Columbus' fourth in the last 58 chances with the man advantage.
Top Game Performances
| Columbus |
|
St. Louis |
|
R.J. Umberger 2 |
Points |
David Backes 1 |
|
R.J. Umberger 2 |
Goals |
David Backes 1 |
|
Cam Atkinson 2 |
Assists |
Andy McDonald 1 |
|
R.J. Umberger 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Allen York .944 |
Save Percentage |
Jaroslav Halak .875 |
|
Allen York 34 |
Saves |
Jaroslav Halak 28 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Columbus
|
33 |
5 |
2-8 |
5-5 |
23 |
31 |
| St. Louis
|
36 |
2 |
0-5 |
6-8 |
41 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
St. Louis will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Blues have a W/L % of .604 after a win and .613 after a loss.
-
Columbus will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .259 after a win and .385 after a loss.
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