Hughes received a game misconduct and five-minute major for boarding in the first period of Saturday's 4-3 win over Ottawa.

EDGE Analysis

He drilled Josh Norris into the boards from behind. It wasn't a hard hit, but Norris was cut and left the game temporarily. That means officials had no option but to issue a boarding major -- rule 41.5 enforces a game misconduct when there is an injury to the face or head of the opponent. And a match penalty means an automatic review by the NHL. Hughes and Norris are close friends who played together for the USNTDP and University of Michigan. A suspension is unlikely, but the reality is that Hughes had a brain burp -- no guy should cross check a player in the numbers at that distance from the boards.