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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Although it was only the eighth game of the season, it was already vital for the Columbus Blue Jackets to show some improvement. A pair of thirty-somethings led the way. R.J. Umberger scored his first goal of the season with 8:46 left to help make a winner of Curtis McElhinney as the Blue Jackets ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. "Its a good feeling," said coach Todd Richards, given a nice present on his 47th birthday. "I sense in the locker room theres some relief. As the losses started piling up, obviously the pressure amps up as well. The win will alleviate some of that." The 31-year-old Umberger had yet to score this season. "Its a good first step for us to get out of the hole we were in," he said. "It was a gutsy challenge we had and we had to find a way to win." McElhinney, making his first appearance for the Blue Jackets in place of Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, had 37 saves -- including several clutch ones while Columbus protected a one-goal lead. "I just felt relaxed in there," said the 30-year-old McElhinney, who won his 20th NHL game but first since going 1-0-0 in 2011-12 with Phoenix. "I was certainly nervous going into the game. Its been a while since Ive played at this level. I just wanted to go in, get that first save and then after that it was all downhill. The guys did a good job in front of me of letting me see pucks." McElhinney, who has spent parts of five seasons with Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa and Phoenix, played last year in the American Hockey League after being picked up in a trade with the Coyotes. Bobrovsky, selected the NHLs top goalie last season, was given the night off after starting Columbus first seven games. Marian Gaborik and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won for the first time at home this season after losing their first two. Umberger and Johansen each had an assist. Umberger scored his 152nd career goal but first since April 15, when the Blue Jackets were putting on a late surge that fell just short of getting them into the playoffs. With the game tied 1-all, Johansen carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush into the offensive zone and slid a pass through the skates of Vancouvers Chris Higgins to Umberger, who had advanced behind Higgins. Umberger faked and slid the puck between Lacks legs. "Phenomenal," Umberger said of Johansens pass. "He came to the middle and he threaded it right through the guys legs. It was right on my tape. I didnt have to move my stick." The win left a lot of Blue Jackets breathing easier. "Its huge," Johansen said. "But its one win and its not going to get any easier." Henrik Sedin had the goal for the Canucks. Eddie Lack stopped 26 shots in place of Roberto Luongo, rested on the second night of back-to-back games for Vancouver. "It was tough to get good opportunities," Sedin said. "A lot of shots were outside and we didnt have a lot of traffic (in front of the net)." The Canucks, playing their fourth of a season-high seven-game road trip, applied plenty of pressure to try to tie it. McElhinney gloved a hard one-timer by Jason Garrison in the final minutes and then stopped Higgins jam shot from point-blank range off a pass from the back wall by Daniel Sedin with 45 seconds remaining. Johansen then added an empty-netter. Canucks coach John Tortorella said the stat sheet was misleading. "Dont let the shots fool you," he said. "I dont think we played enough in the areas (you have to) to score goals. Theyll let you play on the outside all night long. For most of the minutes, thats what we did." NOTES: Columbus forwards Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov played for Tortorella when all were with the New York Rangers the past few years. ... Anisimov has points in his last three games. ... The crowd of 14,168 booed a call midway through the third period when it appeared Dubinskys shot out of a pileup slipped over the goal line. Seconds later, Umberger scored and it counted. ... Columbus played five of its first seven games on the road. ... Gaboriks goal was his third in eight games, matching his total in 12 games last season after he was acquired from the Rangers at the deadline. ... The Canucks killed five power plays, including 1:34 of a 5-on-3 in the second period. Thiago Motta Jersey . Make that, almost always subjective. Saturday at Carrow Road, the spirit of fair play trumped the rulebook, costing Norwich City three points. Marco Verratti Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.psgsoccershop.com/c-26-david ... ersey.aspx. Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Yuri Berchiche Jersey . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Lucas Moura Jersey . The Toronto Maple Leafs forward and Nashville Predators goaltender highlighted Mondays waiver transactions, with Calgarys Chuck Kobasew and Edmontons Philip Larsen also being placed on waivers.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips had surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, an injury thats expected to sideline him for about six weeks. The Reds entered a weekend series against Pittsburgh with their infield depleted by injuries. First baseman Joey Votto was out indefinitely with a strained muscle above his left knee. Skip Schumaker, who was expected to help fill in at second base, went on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion. Schumaker ran into the outfield wall as he tried to make a catch during a 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He was sore when he showed up at the ballpark on Friday, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion. The Reds called up infielder Donald Lutz from Triple-A Louisville to take Schumakers spot. Lutz was one of only three bench players left for the game against Pittsburgh, along with catcher Brayan Pena and infielder Kristopher Negron. Phillips hurt the thumb when his glove bent awkwardly as he tried to make a sliding catch on Wednesday. Ramon Santiago started at second base on Friday. Manager Bryan Price had intended to use Santiago and Schuumaker there while Phillips is gone.dddddddddddd Now, theyre just trying to make it to the All-Star break. "I like what we have here," Price said before Schumaker went on the DL. "I just want to make sure that, coming out of the All-Star break, the guys that we have here are as healthy as possible. That will be the biggest challenge." Centre fielder Billy Hamilton was back on Friday after being out of the lineup for one game because of a sore hamstring. Pena has several nagging injuries. The Reds decided to bolster their worn-down bullpen before the game, adding two relievers. Right-handers Carlos Contreras and Curtis Partch were called up from Louisville. Catcher Tucker Barnhart was optioned to open a spot. Starter Homer Bailey had to leave in the fifth inning on Thursday after slightly straining his right knee on a pitch. Price expects him to be able to make his next start. "It seems like every game weve played lately, something has happened," Price said. 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