Either way, Carcillo will be out for a while

One way or another, it appears as if the Blackhawks are going to be without Daniel Carcillo for quite a while.

Carcillo was suspended in- definitely by the NHL on Tuesday pending a hearing for his dangerous hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tom Gilbert in Monday’s loss.

There was no official word from the Hawks on Tuesday regarding the health of Carcillo, who suffered what appeared to be a left-knee injury on the play that got him in trouble with the league.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Carcillo was undergoing further medical testing on Tuesday afternoon.

“Tough to say,” is how Quenneville responded when asked if he feared the worst with Carcillo’s injury.

This is the sixth suspension of Carcillo’s NHL career, which could mean he gets as many as 5-8 games for the hit on Gilbert that drew a boarding major penalty and game misconduct.

While the Hawks should have known when they signed Carcillo as a free agent there likely would be nights like Monday when he hurt them with a bad penalty, it hasn’t been a big issue until now.

The Hawks led 1-0 at the time of the boarding incident. The Oilers scored twice on the extended power play and went on to win 4-3.

“I think he’s been fine,” Quenneville said. “You appreciate what he brings, his intensity. We still want him to play with energy, but he has a track record that doesn’t help finding that line.

“His leash is definitely a lot shorter than most or every player. It’s tough finding that right balance, but from our perspective, I think he’s doing everything we want.”

Carcillo certainly could have approached the hit differently.

“It was a quick moment when he was going for a counter hit,” Quenneville said.

“He probably had better leverage than the other guy. His intent wasn’t what happened.”

Shaw on the way?Joel Quenneville said it was likely that a forward would be recalled from Rockford for Thursday#146;s game at Philadelphia.It could be one from the group of Jeremy Morin, Ben Smith, Brandon Pirri or even Andrew Shaw, the gritty 20-year-old forward who was signed to a three-year entry level contract Tuesday.Quenneville said the timing of Shaw#146;s signing had nothing to do with Carcillo#146;s injury. Shaw, a fifth-round draft pick last June, has 12 goals, 21 points and 80 penalty minutes at Rockford.#147;This has been in the works for a while,#148; Quenneville said. #147;We liked him since he came into the organization. We know what type of player he is and what he brings, the competitiveness.#148;The morning after: Some extra skating, a tough 1-on-1 drill and more power play work were part of Tuesday#146;s practice that was a little more intense than usual following Monday#146;s loss.#147;I think (Joel Quenneville) was embarrassed for the team and I think everybody in the room was too,#148; Bryan Bickell said.#147;We just didn#146;t have the level of effort coming into that game and today#146;s practice was a good example of what we need to do the next game.#148;