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.