Jackets Eliminate Avalanche

Blue Jackets 5, Avalanche 2

Fueled by a pair of scraps and a hat trick, the Blue Jackets sent the Avalanche reaching for the golf clubs prematurely on Thursday night in the Pepsi Center.

Cam Atkinson put Columbus on the board at 6:35 of the opening frame. The rookie forward caught a long lead pass from Darryl Boyce as he entered the offensive zone, then deked Semyon Varlamov to notch the night’s first goal.           

David Jones evened the score for the Avalanche near the midway point of the period, but Rick Nash’s rebound tally at 17:29 gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes.

In the second period Colorado tied it again. Early into a four-minute power play, Paul Stastny beat Steve Mason for his 21^st goal of the season.

The Blue Jackets took their third lead of the game less than five minutes later when Rick Nash buried a close in shot during the waning moments of a five-on-three man advantage.

At 11:51 of the period, Columbus expanded its lead to 4-2. Cam Atkinson swept in from below the goal then chopped a shot that sneaked past Varlamov on the far side of the net.

The Avalanche picked up its play in the third period as the team found itself two goals away from postseason elimination. However, Mason continued his success in the crease despite a few bizarre plays.

First, Mason took a rising shot to the mask. Then, a Colorado forward railroaded him into the cage. The latter of the plays resulted in a pair of disputable calls. Jack Johnson was issued a two-minute minor for interference and Vinny Prospal, an assistant captain, was given a 10-minute misconduct.

Prospal appeared to be asking for clarification on the play when he was sent to the sin bin. Regardless, he was benched for the half of the period.

Tempers continued to flare late in the final minutes of the game when it was clear Colorado would lose its playoff bid. Gabriel Landeskog and Jamie McGinn each took penalties at 13:58 of the period.

Later, with the net empty, the Blue Jackets capped their successful night with an crafty play. Cam Atkinson chased the puck to the goal line, battled to jar it free from the defenseman, then tucked a no-look shot between his legs to record his first NHL hat trick.

Columbus closes its season at home against the New York Islanders on Saturday night.