Brandon Bollig wasn’t supposed to be bringing an element that’s not in his repertoire in Game 1. He wasn’t put into the lineup to necessarily play a ton of minutes or provide some scoring punch. He was there to be a physical presence, hit when necessary and protect the Blackhawks’ stars.
And the Blackhawks got what they wanted from Bollig.
Bollig played about 14 ½ minutes and logged nine hits, tied for the team high (with Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell), in the Blackhawks’ triple-overtime victory over the Boston Bruins. For Bollig, it was an opportunity he didn’t want to squander; and coach Joel Quenneville was happy with what he saw.
“I thought he had a real strong game for us. I liked what he brought to the team,” Quenneville said. “I thought he was defensively responsible, that he ended up in the offensive zone a lot. Defensively, you're comfortable with him. I thought he was physical, thought he had a purpose behind his game. He brought what we were looking for.”
And Game 1’s intensity is exactly what Bollig was planning on seeing.
NHL Headlines
After given the opportunity, Bollig stepped up and delivered
CSN Chicago | Jun 15