Bolland atones for penalties with big plays
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CHICAGO -- As he sat in the penalty box for the third time, Dave Bolland quietly vowed to make up for it during Friday night's Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
"I was a little anxious," said Bolland, who wound up scoring a goal and assisting on Dustin Byfuglien's game-winner in overtime. "I was like, ‘I've got to do something. I have to come out here with a burst of speed.'"
Thirty seconds after he did, he couldn't believe his luck. A blocked shot by Jonathan Toews slid right to him for a breakaway chance and the guy who's become known as a defensive stopper took it from there -- skating in against Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and deking him to the ice.
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Bolland placed his shot perfectly in a small gap between Nabokov's pad and the post to put the Hawks up 2-1 with 6:55 left to play -- then skated to the corner of the rink where actors Vince Vaughn and Kevin James were sitting.
"I had to go give them a wink," Bolland said. "I saw them sitting there, but I had to make sure the puck was in the net."
Did they wink back?
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"Oh yeah," Bolland said, smiling. "I hope so."
Just like that, the Madhouse on Madison was rocking. Patrick Marleau's second goal put a damper on the party and sent the game to OT, but Bolland again broke out the offense when he fed Byfuglien for the game-winner with a perfectly placed pass from behind the net.
"He's shown his good hands for a few years now," Hawks winger Kris Versteeg said of Bolland. "We know what he can do. He's a pretty offensive guy and can play at both ends very well."
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Not a bad finish to a night that could have turned out much worse for Bolland and the Hawks, who gave up the game's first goal on a 5-on-3 in which Bolland was in the box with two seconds left in his penalty. In all, Bolland went to the box three times -- but Hawks fans aren't going to remember that now.
They will remember his goal for quite a while. Where does it rank in all that he's scored?
"Pretty high," Bolland said, smiling. "It's fun scoring goals. It's also a lot easier. For me, playing against those top players in the NHL -- it's pretty ecstatic to have that accomplishment."