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BOX SCORE
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Gary Suter showed that he has plenty to
give the San Jose Sharks, even after 1,000 games in the NHL.
The 36-year-old Suter celebrated the milestone with his first
goal of the season as the San Jose Sharks beat the expansion
Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 Wednesday night.
"That means a lot to me, to play 1,000 games in this league
when I was such a low draft pick and not given a chance to play in
the league when I was drafted," said Suter, who has come back from
three arm operations and surgery to correct a valve in his heart.
"It's a real milestone for any player, especially when you get
over major injuries."
Suter was taken by Calgary in the eighth round, with the 180th
overall pick, in the 1984 entry draft. His 14-year career also
includes stops in Calgary and Chicago.
He registered his 188th career goal to open the scoring. Suter
scored with a shot from the left dot that beat goalie Ron Tugnutt
inside the near post. The goal was set up by Todd Harvey.
Harvey also assisted on Patrick Marleau's fourth goal midway
through the second period. Scott Thornton snaked a centering pass
through the crease from the right side, with Marleau directing his
shot past Tugnutt as he scrambled to recover.
"I broke my stick and went to the bench. The trainers did a
great job of getting me a stick," Marleau said. "I just went to
the net and Thornty threw it right through the crease and I had a
way-open net."
Marleau has points in each of his last four games and five of
the last six, with four goals and three assists in that span.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Sharks, who finished a
five-game road trip.
"I thought it was a real good trip, five cities in eight
nights. Being able to hang in there is a testament to the
players," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said.
Columbus, playing the middle game of a three-game homestand,
remained winless at Nationwide Arena (0-4-1) and lost its sixth in
a row overall.
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 35 shots for the Sharks, improving to 5-1
in relief of injured starter Steve Shields.
"My defense is playing real well," Nabokov said. "They've
helped me a lot."
Vincent Damphousse scored an empty-net goal in the final minute.
The hard times continued for Columbus, which fell to 0-4-0-1 at
home. The Blue Jackets failed on 11 power-play attempts, making
them 1-for-31 with an advantage on home ice.
"In phases of the game we played very well. I thought we
outplayed them some of the time 5-on-5 and occasionally on power
plays," Columbus coach Dave King said. "I'm very happy with the
way we worked. I just wish there was more reward for the players
and our fans."
A crowd of 15,521 in Nationwide Arena still had a lot to cheer.
First-round draft pick Rostislav Klesla pulled the Blue Jackets
within a goal with 5:27 remaining. Klesla sidestepped Mike Ricci at
the point, then deked Nabokov and slid the puck between the
goalie's skates.
Columbus general manager Doug MacLean must make a decision soon
on whether to keep Klesla with the Blue Jackets or send him back to
juniors for further development. Klesla isn't fretting the
decision.
"I'm not really thinking about it," Klesla said. "I'm just
going to go out and play my game and see what happens. Of course I
want to stay here. But I want what is best for me and I want what
is best for the team."
Game notes
Damphousse has 1,004 career points and 369 goals, putting
him 57th in NHL points and tied in goals with Bernie Federko for
78th place. ... Tyler Wright's streak of having a point in every
home game ended. ... The Blue Jackets activated Espen Knutsen, who
was sidelined since his left little finger was nearly severed in a
Sept. 20 exhibition game. Ted Drury, who saw action in only one
game, was assigned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League. ...
Opponents have outscored Columbus 14-2 in the second period.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
San Jose Clubhouse
Columbus Clubhouse
RECAPS
Buffalo 4
Carolina 1
San Jose 3
Columbus 1
Detroit 5
Tampa Bay 1
New Jersey 2
Florida 1
Ottawa 3
Pittsburgh 2
Toronto 6
Minnesota 1
Vancouver 6
Dallas 2
Colorado 2
Nashville 1
Atlanta 3
Edmonton 1
Los Angeles 6
Anaheim 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Evgeni Nabokov stops the Columbus shot.
avi: 631 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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