NHL: Columbus 5, Calgary 0

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 26 (UPI) -- Steve Mason continued his amazing rookie season Thursday by recording his 10th shutout in carrying the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-0 victory over Calgary.

Mason leads the NHL in shutouts and set a franchise record for most in a single season. He has also won three straight starts and six out of his last seven appearances.

The Columbus goaltender made 33 saves in blanking the Flames, who began the game with a three-point lead over Vancouver in the battle for the top spot in the Northwest Division.

Jason Williams scored two power-play goals, one of them coming with 7:31 to go in the first period that gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead.

Manny Malhotra, Raffi Torres and R.J. Umberger also produced goals for Columbus, which is holding down the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

With Calgary currently the third seed, Thursday's game could have been the preview of a first-round playoff matchup.