Chicago Blackhawks Got Both Sides of the Daniel Carcillo Coin vs Edmonton Oilers

Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo had quite an eventful evening for a guy who played just six minutes of hockey Monday night.

It was the best of Carbomb. It was the worst of Carbomb.

It was on display for everyone to see in what may be his last appearance in the Indian head sweater.

Carcillo figured heavily in the short time he was in the game during Chicago's 4-3 loss at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

In just 6:33 of ice time, the volatile winger showed us both why he has been an effective player at times for the 'Hawks and the lack of discipline that makes him such a wild card.

One play brought the Bad Daniel talk to the forefront. His second period boarding of Tom Gilbert (Watch it here.) brought a five-minute major penalty and left both Gilbert and Carcillo on the ice.

The 'Hawks fortunes turned completely on that play as the Oilers scored a pair of goals in their lengthy power play.

It's unfortunate Carcillo couldn't somehow find a DeLorean and replay the sequence without incident. If the 'Hawks go on to win, 3-2, fans leave that game raving about the play he made earlier in the contest.

Carcillo intercepted a pass, fought his way into the Oilers zone and found Jonathan Toews for the first goal of the evening.

We could be lauding Carcillo for continuing to make a positive difference. We could be praising Jimmy Hayes for his first NHL goal in the third period, which could have been the game-winner.

One ill-advised play later, everything changes.

There is much debate as to the severity of Carcillo's actions. Whether it was a dirty hit or just incredibly poor judgement on his part is moot, as there are certainties that will occur in the aftermath of the play.

Carcillo will surely have action taken against him by the league. He will also be missing a lot of games, via suspension or injury.

I'd say with Carcillo's history and the fact that he never made an attempt to play the puck before shoving Gilbert, we're looking at at least six games. Gilbert's health status will likely factor into the punishment, but It's hard to believe Brenden Shanahan won't be coming down hard on a repeat offender.

The way Carcillo was carried from the ice following the play, it may not make any difference. His left knee appeared to be badly injured when Gilbert fell into it.

We very well may have seen the last of Carcillo for a good while.

With the Blackhawks seemingly short a forward with Carcillo and Marcus Kruger unavailable, it remains to be seen as to what GM Stan Bowman's next move will be. I'd expect that either Jeremy Morin or Ben Smith will be receiving a call in the short term.

It's interesting to see the 'Hawks signing Andrew Shaw, their fifth-round pick from this past summer's draft, to an entry level deal today. Shaw has been one of Rockford's best players (12 goals and 21 points) and plays an aggressive game. If the 'Hawks reward guys working hard, Shaw definitely merits a call up.

Shaw is the guy who fought Carcillo early in training camp.

“I’ve grown up watching him [and] always looked up to him,” Shaw told the Chicago Sun-Times after the tussle. "I’ve kind of mimicked his style of play. I’ve always enjoyed doing that role."

Hopefully Shaw takes notice of Monday's game as evidence of the line between chippy and reckless. Carcillo's crossing of that line may be his last move as a member of the Blackhawks.