Car Bombed: Daniel Carcillo watches his redirection slip past Ray Emery for the knockout blow highlighting a Rangers 4-1 Game 3 win over the Flyers.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola

On Stanley Cup media day, Daniel Carcillo had his suspension reduced to six games. Originally given a 10-game ban for violating Rule 40.4 by making deliberate “physical force to an official for the sole purpose of getting free of such official during or immediately following an altercation,” he will serve the remainder in Games 1-3 in the Cup Final.

For whatever reason, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saw fit to reduce the suspension. That’ll make Carcillo eligible to return for Game 4. Simply put, he got a reprieve. Whether or not he actually plays in the series against his former team remains to be seen. It would be ironic if he does get a crack at the Kings, who dealt him to the Rangers in January for a conditional pick. Unless coach Alain Vigneault decides he needs more of a pest against a bigger, physical opponent, it’s probably a stretch barring injury.

“I respect the league’s decision and how they came to a decision,” Carcillo expressed Tuesday at Staples Center. “I’m just happy I could say my piece and be a part of it, say my side of the story. I think he took it into account, and Gary was great. The league was great.”

“A bit of a dead man walking there for the last week and a half, so to hear that this morning as soon as you wake up it gives you a little boost, a little bit of energy,” Carcillo added. “Just to be able to be around the guys in three games will be great. I’m just really encouraged.”

For Carcillo, it’s his third trip to the Stanley Cup Finals over the last five years. He was part of the Cup champion Blackhawks last year and appeared in 2010 with the Flyers.