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Struggling Umberger out ‘at least a couple of weeks’ with upper-body injury

St. Louis Blues v Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 09: RJ Umberger #18 of the Columbus Blue Jackets looks on the St. Louis Blues on March 9, 2011 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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R.J. Umberger’s disappointing season got worse on Monday, as he was ruled out for ‘at least a couple of weeks,’ with an upper-body ailment. The development comes with Umberger having already been partly phased out of Columbus’ late-season playoff push; he’s been a healthy scratch on a number of occasions recently and, when in the lineup, his ice time has noticeably decreased.

The 31-year-old appeared to get hurt during Sunday’s 4-0 win over the Islanders. He only played two shifts in the third period and 8:34 overall, and was seen with his arm in a sling on Monday morning.

While his decline over the last month has been rather large -- just one goal and one assist over his last 12 games -- losing Umberger’s services for the remainder of the regular season and part of the playoffs would still be costly for the Jackets. He’s still tied for fifth on the Jackets in goals (18) and, prior to his slump, had been a constant lineup presence throughout the year.

In a related move to the Umberger injury, Columbus recalled forward Jack Skille from AHL Springfield on Monday.