NEW YORK -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman cut Daniel Carcillos suspension from 10 games to six, meaning the New York Rangers enforcer could play in the Stanley Cup finals should the club elect to return him to the lineup. The commissioner made the change Tuesday after holding a hearing with Carcillo on Friday. "I respect the leagues decision and how they came to a decision," Carcillo said Tuesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. "Im 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." Carcillo was suspended May 23 after he appeared to twice elbow linesman Scott Driscoll, who was trying to keep Carcillo away from a fight, during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. The original ban would have kept him completely out of the Cup finals, even if the series went the full seven games. Now Carcillo, who has already served three, is eligible to play in Game 4. "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 said. "Just to be able to be around the guys in three games will be great. Im just really encouraged." Carcillo was originally punished under Rule 40.3 for deliberately applying physical force to an official, which carries a suspension of at least 10 games. However, Bettman decided that "Carcillos actions were more appropriately deemed a violation of Rule 40.4 for deliberately applying physical force to an official for the sole purpose of getting free of such official during or immediately following an altercation." "The National Hockey League does not and will not, under any circumstances, tolerate or condone the abuse, physical or otherwise, of our on-ice officials," Bettman said in a statement. "The strict and proper enforcement of Rule 40, therefore, plays a critical role in safeguarding the integrity of the game by maintaining a safe and respectful working environment for our officials." The Stanley Cup finals begin Wednesday with the Rangers visiting the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Kings. If Carcillo is activated after the suspension, he will be playing in his third Stanley Cup finals in the last five years. He made it with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2009-10 season and Chicago Blackhawks last season. Carcillo was traded to the Kings in July. The Rangers acquired Carcillo from the Kings in January for a conditional draft pick. Said Carcillo: "Looks like I would have been in the Cup final anyway." Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . The 33-year-old defender has spent his entire career at Chelsea, scoring 57 goals in 621 appearances. He regained his regular starting place under Jose Mourinho in the season that ended at the weekend without Chelsea winning a trophy. Cheap Islanders Jerseys . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. http://www.cheapislandersjerseys.com/ . Vonn "reopened" the idea of competing in the season-opening World Cup event on Oct. 26-27 in Soelden, Austria after returning to the slopes last month in Portillo, Chile. Wholesale Islanders Jerseys .m. on Friday. Granger was acquired from the Indiana Pacers last Thursday for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen, but never played a minute for Philadelphia. The 76ers also received a 2015 second-round draft pick in the deal. Cheap Islanders Jerseys China .com) - The Minnesota Twins made it official on Wednesday, announcing the signing of outfielder Torii Hunter to a one-year contract.(Sports Network) - Two of footballs most storied franchises will meet in primetime for the first time tonight as the winless Pittsburgh Steelers host the unbeaten Chicago Bears. Watch the action live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV, starting with Football Night in America at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Age and injuries seem to have caught up to the 2013 Steelers and Mike Tomlins current bunch is not in its accustomed spot as one of the heavyweights in the AFC. Since Chuck Nolls first winning season in 1972 the Steelers have had only seven losing seasons over a 40-year span with the low-water mark being 5-11 in 1988. Over that same time frame Pittsburgh has won 20 division championships, eight AFC crowns and is footballs only six-time Super Bowl champions. This is not an organization used to failure or looking up at the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North standings. In fact, the Steelers have treated the Queen City like a second home over the years, winning 11 of their last 12 at Paul Brown Stadium before last Monday nights 20-10 setback to Marvin Lewis crew. Perhaps no team has had a more difficult start to the 2013 season than the Steelers, though, and now the team will try to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2000. Used to kicking off a new campaign in style, especially at home in Heinz Field, Pittsburgh lost far more than a game in Week 1 when Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, defensive leader Larry Foote and running back LaRod Stephens- Howling all went down with season-ending injuries during an ugly 16-9 setback against Tennessee. "Weve got a lot of work to do," Tomlin said at the time. "Nobody cares about our problems. Theyre glad weve got them. We need to understand that. We need to stick together and persevere." Things didnt figure to get much easier in Cincinnati as an old friend, James Harrison, and a strong Bengals front seven laid in wait after a bitter Week 1 hiccup at Chicago. Despite possessing footballs most impressive resume, and its longstanding dominance over the Bengals, you never got the feeling Pittsburgh even had a chance this time around, no doubt a bitter pill to swallow for some haughty western Pennsylvania fans used to nothing but good times. For once Cincinnati had the more talented team and perhaps more importantly, the healthier one. Rookie running back Giovani Bernard gave the Bengals offense a little juice out of the backfield and scored two touchdowns as Cincinnati shut down Pittsburgh. Bernard ran for an early score and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton in the third quarter which gave the Bengals a lead they never relinquished. The real difference, though, was the Bengals defense, which forced two turnovers and limited Pittsburgh to a mere 278 yards and 14 first downs in the clubs second home victory over its division rival in the past 12 years. Ben Roethlisberger, hurried throughout the game, threw for 251 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 20-of-37 passes for the Steelers, who dropped their first two games of the season for the first time since 2002. Its also the first time Pittsburgh has been two games under .500 since Tomlin took over in 2007. "They were the better team tonight," Tomlin said. "Well continue to work and move forward." Chicago, meanwhile, has been living on the edge, winning for the second straight week in comeback fashion when Martellus Bennetts touchdown catch with 10 seconds to play gave the Bears a 31-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings on a rainy day at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler was picked off twice and lost a fumble, but finished the game 28- for-39 with 290 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears, who opened the season with a three-point win over Cincinnati. Bennett finished with seven catches for 76 yards, Brandon Marshall had seven catches for 113 yards and a score, while Matt Forte had 90 yards on 19 carries and 71 yards on 11 catches for Chicago, which has won seven of the last eight games against Minnesota.dddddddddddd "I saw a lot of resiliency today out of this team," said Chicago head coach Marc Trestman. "We had a heck of an opponent today and they gave it their all. This was one of the tougher games Ive ever had to coach." Chicago leads its all-time series with the Steelers, which dates back to 1934, with a 20-7-1 mark. The rivalry has been much more evenly contested in the modern-day NFL, though, with the teams splitting 10 meetings since 1971. This is only the Bears second trip to Heinz Field and just the fourth meeting between these two teams since 1998. The only other time the Bears played in Heinz Field was in 2005 when Pittsburgh won 21-9. WHAT TO WATCH FOR When Tomlin said he and his team will continue moving forward, they are doing so with a veteran QB who doesnt like offensive coordinator Todd Haley, an offensive line in shambles, and a running game thats non-existent -- an almost sacrilegious development for a franchise which has always prided itself on its ability to run the football. Tomlin has never suffered through a losing season as a head coach, earning four playoff appearances, two Super Bowl berths and the Super Bowl XLIII championship in his previous six years at the helm in the Steel City. In good times or bad -- like last seasons .500 finish -- Tomlin has always preached accountability. "Theres a certain amount of misery with the position that were in," Tomlin said after watching his team fall to 0-2. "Well wear it. We dont like it. Well wear it." The badge they are currently wearing says the offense has scored a total of 19 points and rushed for 75 yards, and the defense, although solid, has yet to record a takeaway. Only sad sacks Cleveland (16) and Jacksonville (11) have scored fewer points in the NFL season, and the running back by committee approach featuring Felix Jones, the now-injured Stephens-Howling, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer has rushed for a paltry total of 70 yards on 27 attempts. "We need some guys to step up, older guys to step up and younger guys to get it going and avoid the road were going down," Roethlisberger said. The Steelers could get a boost by the possible return of Roethlisbergers favorite target, tight end Heath Miller, who is just about ready after tearing his ACL late in the 2012 season. Rookie running LeVeon Bell remains out with a foot injury, however. "Theres been a problem with our functioning," Tomlin said. "Theres been a problem with our production. Theres been a problem with our points. You can point to whatever you want to point to in regards to that, and obviously if the plays arent working well then were susceptible to that judgment. Im not going to lose a whole bunch of sleep over that." Bears rookie coach Trestman may have had a few sleepless nights wondering when the luck is going to run out on his team. With a win in the Steel City Chicago will be 3-0 for the first time since 2010, when it reached the NFC Championship Game. They could just as easily be 0-2, however. "Weve seen a unique team resiliency, an ability to keep our poise, an ability to just move onto the next play without what happened on the last play inhibiting us," Trestman said. That and an opportunistic defense which has forced six turnovers in two weeks after leading the . the NFL with 145 points scored off 44 last season has Trestman sleeping soundly for now. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Bears have been living on the edge, but they also must be living right, something which should continue this week. Cutler is 2-0 against the Steelers in his career and will be aiming for his third straight game with a passer rating over 100.0 against them, a mark that serves as a bit of a death knell for his opposition. Cutlers teams are 26-1 when he has 100-plus passer rating. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bears 20, Steelers 17 ' ' '