SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Jeff Jillson has capitalized on nearly
every opportunity that has come his way this fall.
Jillson, the Sharks' promising rookie defenseman, scored his
first NHL goal, and Evgeni Nabokov was rarely tested in his second
shutout of the season as San Jose beat the struggling Columbus Blue
Jackets 2-0 Saturday night.
Jillson was rushed into the Sharks' defensive rotation because
of Mike Rathje's ongoing holdout, but he has been a pleasant
surprise for San Jose. He leads the team in blocked shots, skates
frequently on the power play and has five points.
During a power play late in the second period, Jillson showed
his opportunistic side again. He misfired with a slap shot, but the
Sharks cycled the puck back to him, and he launched Gary Suter's
pass for another shot that beat Ron Tugnutt, who made 19 saves.
"I didn't really move much," Jillson said. "It's great to
have teammates who get the puck to you where you can do something
good. I just waited, and I got another chance."
San Jose captain Owen Nolan had two assists to tie Jeff Friesen
for the franchise's career scoring lead as the Sharks rebounded
from a lackluster road trip with a victory over the Blue Jackets,
who have won just once in their first 11 games.
"The team is happy for him," Nolan said of Jillson. "He's
worked real hard. He had a couple of opportunities earlier that he
couldn't cash in, but it's good for him to get through."
Nabokov's ninth career shutout required only one series of
spectacular saves in the second period. Last season's rookie of the
year stopped 16 shots.
Over their last four games, the Blue Jackets have been shut out
twice and outscored 19-3.
"It was a very positive step for us, but we didn't get a win,
so we've got to get better," Columbus right wing Grant Marshall
said. "We've got to take the positives."
The Blue Jackets went 0-for-5 on the power play -- going
scoreless on a two-man advantage for 45 seconds -- after getting
five power-play goals in their first four road games. Still, coach
Dave King, who publicly questioned his team's work ethic earlier in
the season, was pleased with Columbus' defensive efforts.
"It was a step in the right direction. The recovery is on,"
King said. "(But) we aren't generating much offense, and it's
really a concern. Our shot total, chance total, goal total are very
low this year."
Columbus limited the Sharks to two power-play goals, but managed
just one shot in the first period and never got into an offensive
flow.
"It was probably our best first period at home all year,"
Sharks assistant coach Rich Preston said. "We were physical, and
we beat their defense to loose pucks."
Debuting their new black third jerseys, the Sharks played their
first home game in two weeks following a six-game trip which
resulted in just one victory.
San Jose began a season of high expectations with a 3-3-3-1
mark, but Saturday's victory gave the Sharks three wins and eight
points from five home games.
Low-scoring defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson got San Jose's first
goal on a wrist shot from a sharp angle during a power play in the
first period. It was Ragnarsson's 23rd career goal in 435 games.
Nolan, in his sixth season with the Sharks, has 350 points with
the team, matching the total accumulated by Friesen, who was traded
to Anaheim for Teemu Selanne last spring.
"I didn't know about it. That's how much I was worried about
it," Nolan said of the record. "It was just good to see us bounce
back from the road trip with good goaltending and some early
goals."
Adam Graves, who still hasn't scored a goal with the Sharks,
played his 1,000th NHL game, while Mike Ricci played his 800th.
Game notes
Graves is the 164th player to reach 1,000 games. Suter hit
the mark last October in a game at Columbus. ... Nolan already
holds the franchise's career goals record with 163. ... The Blue
Jackets have been outshot 113-70 in the first period this season.
Columbus has just 33 shots in the first periods of its last seven
games. ... Former All-Star Ray Whitney was scratched from Columbus'
lineup with a chest bruise.