COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the midst of a dismal season filled with personnel setbacks and losses, the Columbus Blue Jackets enjoyed a rare good night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Right winger Cam Atkinson scored three goals and left winger Brandon Saad delivered two as the Blue Jackets took the first game of a back-to-back against the Canadiens with a 5-2 victory on Monday in Nationwide Arena. The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Blue Jackets.

Atkinson punctuated the win in the final minute with his third career hat trick for the Blue Jackets, who have the worst record (18-27-5) in the NHL. The three goals resulted in a shower of hats on the ice with 25 seconds left and boosted his season goal total to 16.

The Blue Jackets were without head coach John Tortorella and regular goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky but still found a way to take care of business. Tortorella missed his second straight game after suffering two broken ribs in a practice collision on Friday.

Bobrovsky is on injured reserve with a strained groin.

Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was solid for the Blue Jackets, stopping 32 of 34 shots.

"It was great," Atkinson said of the hat trick and the win. "We seemed to find ways to lose those 1-1 games, 2-2 games going into the third. We found a way to win tonight. It's great to get a win in front of our home fans."

The Blue Jackets (18-27-5) and Canadiens (24-21-4) meet again Tuesday night in Montreal in their final game before the NHL All-Star Game. Montreal won the first meeting between the teams in December.

"They've had our number for a long time," Atkinson said. "It's good to get a win against them."

Saad, who will make his first All-Star appearance, broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period when he deflected a shot by defenseman Justin Falk from the left point past Canadiens goaltender Mike Condon at 9:06. Saad's two goals elevated his team-leading season total to 18.

Atkinson had given the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead at 2:52 of the second period with his second goal of the game. He took the puck off the boards and skated in front of the net before firing a sharp backhander past Condon.

Three minutes later, Atkinson nearly scored another goal on a wraparound, but Condon smothered the puck before it crossed the goal line.

"It wasn't always pretty and we weren't perfect," said Blue Jackets associate coach Craig Hartsburg, who was behind the bench subbing for Tortorella. "We stayed with it and we didn't crack. It's a good win for us. I'm excited for our guys."

Right winger Brendan Gallagher and defenseman P.K. Subban, who was a game-time decision because of illness but played in his 255th consecutive regular-season game, scored the goals for the Canadiens.

Subban made it 2-2 at 8:36 of the second period with his fourth goal of the season, sending a rocket shot from outside the blue line past Korpisalo. Subban drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the goal when he collided with Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky while celebrating.

"Going out for the third period, I really felt like it was our game," Subban said. "Like I said, I think we did a lot of good things tonight. Those moments when we lose the puck or we lose our heads, it's costing us games right now."

The Canadiens opened the scoring at 10:39 of the first period with a five-on-three goal by Gallagher. His shot was redirected off Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson past Korpisalo for a soft goal.

Columbus tied the score 1-1 four minutes later when Atkinson took a pass from Dubinsky and sent a low shot past Condon's left skate at 14:40 of the first period.

"I felt we played well enough to give ourselves a chance to win the game," Subban said. "A couple of mental lapses cost us again. We've got to realize that when it's a 2-2 game, 2-1, and you get a bad bounce, you've got to stick with it."

Condon finished with 20 saves for the Canadiens, who were coming off a shootout win on Saturday night over Toronto.

"We just had bad execution again tonight," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "It's unacceptable. I'm disappointed, just disappointed with the way we execute."

NOTES: Montreal RW Daniel Carr left the ice in the second period with a lower-body injury. ... Canadiens D P.K. Subban missed the morning skate because of illness but was active for the game. He has not missed a regular-season game in nearly three years. ... Both teams started backup goaltenders -- Montreal's Mike Condon and Columbus' Joonas Korpisalo -- in place of injured starters. Condon also started the last meeting between the teams on Dec. 1, a 2-1 win for the Canadiens. ... Blue Jackets LW Nick Foligno returned Saturday night against Boston after sitting out six games because of a concussion. ... Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky (groin) missed his 45th game since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. A groin strain has sidelined him three times this season, but the latest one is not expected to be season-ending.