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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- It didn't take Pavol Demitra long to get back
into the flow.
Demitra, who missed 17 games because of a bruised retina,
returned to the St. Louis Blues' lineup and set up both goals in a
2-2 tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. He also
played 25 minutes, highest by far among the team's forwards.
|  | | Pavol Demitra gave the Blues a boost, returning to the lineup Thursday after missing 17 games with a bruised retina. |
"He's a world class player," teammate Jamal Mayers said. "I
don't know how long he was out, but it didn't look like he missed a
day."
Demitra was sidelined since Dec. 30 after getting hit in the
right eye by a stick blade. He was on a roll with five goals and
five assists in five games before being injured, and picked up
where he left off.
Demitra now wears a full visor, and it didn't inhibit his play.
"Of course, it's nice to get a couple of points in your first
game," Demitra said. "It's totally different than in a practice.
"I was happy I played and can get ready to play after the
All-Star break."
Pierre Turgeon got the tying goal on a backhander early in the
third period and Ladislav Nagy also scored for the Blues, second
overall in the NHL with 75 points.
Tyler Wright and Geoff Sanderson scored for the Blue Jackets,
4-0-1-2 in their last seven games.
"We're just a first-year team," coach Dave King said.
"Anytime we can get a point, we don't care if we're playing the
Sisters of Minerva."
Blues goalie Roman Turek faced only 13 shots in regulation and
16 overall, but the Blue Jackets had good chances in overtime.
Sanderson had a breakaway after Blues defenseman Todd Reirden fell,
and Jean-Luc Grand Pierre shot over a wide-open net on the rebound.
"Geez, he had a gaping, open net," King said, laughing. "If
possible, he missed by 20 feet from 3 feet. Unbelievable."
"We almost got caught for too many men on the ice because we
all thought he scored," goalie Marc Denis added, also with a
laugh.
Turek, who was sprawled on the ice when Grand-Pierre's shot
sailed overhead, knew he had been lucky.
"I stopped the breakaway, and after that I had no idea of what
happened," Turek said. "I didn't know where the puck was."
With the late flurry, the Blue Jackets avoided a season futility
mark. Their worst shot total is 14 at Dallas on Nov. 1.
Turgeon scored his 23rd goal after taking the puck from a
cycling Demitra behind the net.
Wright's ninth goal gave the Blue Jackets the lead in the first
period. Wright converted a cross-ice pass from Alexander Selivanov.
Nagy tied it, beating Denis off a setup from behind the net by
Demitra.
Sanderson's team-leading 23rd goal came on a 2-on-0 break as the
Blue Jackets regained the lead early in the second. Wright faked a
shot and passed across the slot to Sanderson, who tapped it into an
empty left side.
Game notes
After the game the Blues reassigned forward Marty Reasoner
to Worcester of the AHL. Reasoner, who has a goal and two assists
in 19 games, was a healthy scratch. ... Blues forward Michal
Handzus, who has missed 11 games due to abdominal surgery, said he
may be out another month. ... This is the third game the Blues were
without Al MacInnis, and the first time they weren't outshot. ...
Columbus goalie Ron Tugnutt is 4-1-0-2 with a 1.56 goals-against
average since returning Jan. 12 from a five-game absence due to a
strained thumb. ... The Blues lost six games in January after
totaling five losses the first three months combined.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Columbus Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Montreal 3
Boston 0
Philadelphia 2
NY Islanders 0
Washington 5
Toronto 4
Carolina 3
Atlanta 1
Tampa Bay 4
Buffalo 2
Columbus 2
St. Louis 2
Calgary 5
Chicago 3
Anaheim 4
Phoenix 2
Dallas 4
San Jose 2
Vancouver 5
Colorado 3
Nashville 6
Los Angeles 4
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Geoff Sanderson's goal gives Columbus the 2-1 lead in the second.
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