Atkinson's hat trick lifts Blue Jackets to 6th straight win

The NHL's hottest team kept it going Thursday night, and Cam Atkinson was a major reason why.

He notched the fourth hat trick of his career as the Columbus Blue Jackets slid past the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 in a key Metropolitan Division matchup.

Atkinson scored in the first period to give Columbus a 3-1 lead, buried the eventual game-winner that made it 4-2 in the second period, and added an empty-netter with one second left in the third.

The Blue Jackets equaled the Flyers' 81-point total with the victory, but Philadelphia remains ahead of Columbus for third place in the Metro by virtue of having one more regulation-or-overtime win in the same number of games played.

Atkinson's had a disappointing season by his standards, with 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games. He enjoyed a career year in 2016-17, pouring in 35 goals and 62 points en route to signing a seven-year, $41.125-million contract extension.