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2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 4: Will Carcillo be a scratch?

Coach Peter Laviolette put Dan Carcillo into the lineup in Game 2 in an effort to give his team an infusion of energy and physicality early in the game. After Carcillo spent the first period going absolutely crazy on the ice, including one heck of a hit on his own teammate, he was limited in the second half of the game and rarely saw the ice in the third period.

In Game 3, it was much the same as Carcillo again asserted himself early in the game. During one crazed shift he made several big hits along the boards before being called for a charging call, one that seemed obvious to most but Laviolette felt was a “good, clean hockey play.”

Still, Carcillo was planted on the bench in the third period and overtime and never saw the ice when the game was on the line.

The deeper into the Cup finals and the deeper into games these teams get, the coaches will certainly be shortening the benches in an effort to keep their best players on the ice. Still, after such a grueling postseason it would be nice for the Flyers if they did not have to rely so much on their top two lines. After all, the depth of this team is what got them this far.

Laviolette refused to say whether the speculation was justified, but it certainly seems as if there’s a good chance that James van Riemsdyk is back in the lineup tonight. Granted, that doesn’t necessarily mean Carcillo is coming out. Both skated hard this morning, although Carcillo was out on the ice much longer than JVR. Speculate if you will, but signs point to Carcillo not being out on the ice tonight for Game 4.