Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was tossed from a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday for a hit on opposing forward Josh Norris.
Hughes caught Norris from behind in the first period. The officials gave him a boarding major and a game misconduct.
Norris left the game but returned shortly thereafter.
While the hit may not have appeared ejection-worthy, Norris' face was cut on the play, so the officials were simply following the rule book.
"When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for an infraction resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed," the NHL's Rule 41.5 states.
Hughes came into Saturday leading all Canucks skaters in assists (15), points (19), and average ice time (25:19). He was tied for third among NHL defensemen in points and ranked sixth in the latter category.
Norris and Hughes both spent their two NCAA seasons at Michigan in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The Senators lost their fifth straight game Saturday, while the Canucks snapped a two-game losing skid in their first contest of a six-game road trip.
