Blackhawks’ Bolland happy to be villain of Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Whatever occurs in Game 7 on Tuesday night, it will be the last trip of the season here for Chicago Blackhawks center Dave Bolland. In fact, it may be the last trip to these parts for the foreseeable future.

Gauging by how he has tormented the Vancouver Canucks for two straight postseasons, Bolland is no longer 100 percent positive he’d make it back stateside without his teammates’ backing.

“I’m pretty sure if I’m going to go there for a vacation, it wouldn’t be nice,” Bolland joked Monday, before the Hawks left for Game 7. “They probably wouldn’t let me in once I got to the border. Most people do recognize me. It’s probably not the nicest things they say.”

There isn’t much Canucks fans would be inspired by in that regard. Bolland has six points in three games this series and the vaunted Sedin line has just one goal while he is on the ice. He now has 17 points in 15 career playoff games against the Canucks.

And he can’t stop the needling. He took umbrage with a Dan Hamhuis hit in Game 5, so he returned the favor by leveling the Canucks defenseman in Game 6, leading to the Hawks’ first goal. Asked if he knew it was Hamhuis he was teeing up, Bolland didn’t hesitate.

“Oh, yeah, I knew,” Bolland said. “I think I knew from the blue line in. I thought it was better than a goal.”

As for whether he has discovered a blueprint for stopping those high-octane Sedins -- they combined for 198 points in the regular season -- Bolland shrugged.

“I don’t think I have a formula. It’s not like math,” he said. “I just go out there and play. They’re just two ordinary players, right, so just go out there and play.”

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