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Bolland's 2nd-period goal one for the Hawks' highlight reel

Consider it the Blackhawks' goal of the year to this point.

It happened in the second period Sunday night at the United Center with the Hawks trailing 2-1.

Dave Bolland took a pass in full stride from Tomas Kopecky, turned Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter inside out with a terrific move and slid the puck through goalie Anders Lindback.

“Suter's a great defenseman, so when I got around him there I was sort of dumbfounded to go around him like that,” Bolland said. “After I got around him there the five hole was open so I just had to tap it in.”

Bolland scored 2 goals in the 6-3 win and now has 3 goals and 2 assists in the last four games.

“I feel my game is coming,” said Bolland, who earlier went 16 games without a goal. “I know I had a slow start, but it's coming now. It took some time. I know what I went through with the slump, but through those times I battled and kept playing harder and harder. I knew it would come.”

Captain talk:

The NHL will announce the captains and alternates for the Jan. 30 All-Star Game this week with Jonathan Toews a strong candidate to be one of the six selected by his fellow all-stars.

The two captains, with help from their two alternates, then will choose sides in a Jan. 28 fantasy draft.

Toews is amused that everyone thinks he is a sure thing to be one of the captains.

“One way or another, whether you're a captain or not, it will be interesting for everybody,” Toews said. “Maybe it's a safer bet to be a captain so you don't risk the chance of getting picked last.”

Fat chance of that happening.

The 42 all-stars, including Blackhawks Toews, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane, were polled over the weekend about their choice of captains.

So who would Toews pick?

“Right now, I'd say go with the two leading scorers in the league — (Steve) Stamkos and (Sidney) Crosby,” Toews said. “There are a lot of different guys that can do it, guys who are captains of their own teams.”

Crosby would seem to be a lock to be one of the captains, perhaps with either Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Lidstrom.

Detroit's Lidstrom said last week he would choose Crosby and Ovechkin because they are the league's two best players.

Chipping in:

Tomas Kopecky already has gone well past his career high of 21 points, now with 29 after his 2 assists Sunday.

“I think he's been positive,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He's had some stretches where he's been really good and really effective. For the most part he's been a big part of our power-play success this year.”