Hawks’ Bolland a winning player

The Blackhawks still haven’t lost a game in regulation with Dave Bolland in the lineup.

An opening-night 2-1 loss in Dallas came with Bolland nursing an upper-body injury, but since then the Hawks are 3-0-1 with Bolland notching 4 goals.

Bolland’s short-handed goal early in the third period Tuesday was the key play in the Hawks’ 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Bolland stripped the puck from Radim Vrbata, then blew a quick slap shot past goalie Jason LaBarbera to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.

“It’s still a 1-goal game,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. “They get a power play, and then another power play. But the shorties can really change the momentum of the game. Getting that insurance goal at that time was huge for us.”

The checking line of Bolland, Bryan Bickell and Michael Frolik has been outstanding the last four games at both ends of the ice. Bickell also scored in Tuesday’s win.

“That line has always been good,” Quenneville said. “We like their role and basically the accomplishments they get done on a game-to-game basis. They form a nice line.”

It’s a line Quenneville put together in the playoffs last April and has kept intact.

“All three of us just click,” Bolland told reporters following Tuesday’s win. “Bick with his big body and Fro with his vision and good speed, playing with those two guys has been tremendous.”

But it all starts with Bolland, who continues to show why he is one of the most important players on the team.

“That’s an important piece,” Quenneville said. “It gives us some real continuity in our team game. That line a lot of nights can match up against top lines and some nights outscore them, or at least play with them. Defensively, he plays in all situations. He’s an important guy.”