Thornton Tossed in Win

Joe Thornton’s eagerly awaited return to Boston ended quickly.

The former Bruin captain was ejected less than six minutes into Tuesday night’s game for checking his friend Hal Gill from behind. San Jose still won, 6-2, without the league’s fourth-leading scorer.

Josh Langfeld scored his first two goals, and the Sharks also had three power-play goals.

Thornton was “in shock” that he received a game misconduct and an automatic ejection 5:13 into the game. Even Gill was surprised.

“Maybe it’s a penalty, maybe it isn’t,” said Gill, who suffered a pinched nerve in his left shoulder and didn’t return. “I think what he got was too much.”

So did Shark Coach Ron Wilson.

“Everybody’s been waiting for this game and Joe didn’t last but two shifts,” said Wilson, who also was “shocked” by the call. “What’s even worse is we won’t be back here for three years, so the Bruin fans and all his buddies won’t see him for three years here in Boston. That’s a shame.”

Gill said Thornton apologized to him. The defenseman also said he braced for the hit in the corner to the left of Boston’s net but was in an awkward position. Thornton hit him partly on his left side and partly on his back and Gill went to the ice.

Referee Chris Rooney said NHL rules call for a game misconduct on such plays.

“From my view, where I’m standing on the ice, it’s a direct hit from behind,” Rooney said. “The player that got hit is defenseless.”

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Carolina 3, Detroit 2 -- Erik Cole had a goal and an assist in a fast-paced first period at Raleigh, N.C., and the Hurricanes held on to beat Detroit in the only matchup of the season between two of the league’s top teams.

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Vancouver 4, Toronto 3 -- Alexandre Burrows scored his first NHL goal to help the Canucks defeat the Maple Leafs at Vancouver, Canada.

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Chicago 4, Washington 3 -- Chicago ended its 10-game losing streak, blowing a three-goal lead before Kyle Calder scored with 2:59 left in overtime for the win at Washington.

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New York Rangers 4, Calgary 2 -- Petr Sykora had a goal and assist in his Ranger debut, and Jason Ward broke a third-period tie to lift New York to victory at Madison Square Garden.

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Edmonton 3, Pittsburgh 1 -- Shawn Horcoff scored all three goals, including the seventh short-handed goal given up by the Penguins this season, and the Oilers won at Pittsburgh.

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Ottawa 7, Phoenix 2 -- Daniel Alfredsson had two goals and two assists in his return from a rib injury, and Bryan Smolinski had three assists to lead host Ottawa.

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Nashville 2, New York Islanders 1 -- Steve Sullivan scored twice to lead the Predators to victory at Nashville.

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Tampa Bay waived captain Dave Andreychuk, 42, saying he could not keep up with the speed the NHL’s new rules have created. Andreychuk had six goals and 12 assists in 42 games.