Thornton ejected in return
Joe Thornton was ejected less than 6 minutes into his first game back in Boston and the San Jose Sharks still dominated the Bruins 6-2 Tuesday night.
The Sharks didn’t need Boston’s former captain because Josh Langfeld scored his first two goals of the season and Scott Hannan, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo scored on power plays.
Thornton got a major penalty and an automatic game misconduct from referee Chris Rooney for hitting Bruins defenseman Hal Gill from behind at 5:13 of the first period. Gill and Thornton were teammates as Bruins rookies in 1997-98.
Senators 7, Coyotes 2: Daniel Alfredsson had two goals and two assists in his return from a rib injury and Bryan Smolinski added three assists to lead Ottawa to a win over visiting Phoenix.
Oilers 3, Penguins 1: Shawn Horcoff scored all three Edmonton goals, including the seventh short-handed goal allowed by Pittsburgh this season, and the visiting Oilers beat the still-slumping Penguins.
Hurricanes 3, Red Wings 2: In Raleigh, N.C., Erik Cole had a goal and an assist in a fast-paced first period and Carolina held on to beat Detroit in the only matchup of the season between two of the top teams in the NHL.
Predators 2, Islanders 1: In Nashville, Tenn., Steve Sullivan scored twice to lead Nashville over New York.
Rangers 4, Flames 2: Petr Sykora had a goal and an assist in his Rangers debut, and Jason Ward snapped a third-period tie to lift New York to a victory over visiting Calgary.
Blackhawks 4, Capitals 3 (OT): Chicago ended its 10-game losing streak, blowing a three-goal lead before Kyle Calder scored with 2:59 left in overtime for a 4-3 victory over the Capitals in Washington.
Canucks 4, Maple Leafs 3: Alexandre Burrows scored his first career goal to help Vancouver beat visiting Toronto. The Canucks trailed 2-1 after the first period, but battled back on goals by Matt Cooke and Burrows to take the lead heading into the third period.
Around the league
The Islanders traded defenseman Janne Niinimaa and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to the Dallas Stars for defenseman John Erskine and a second-round choice in the draft this year. … Tampa Bay waived 42-year-old captain Dave Andreychuk.