Murray says Game 7 means high-level intensity
Q. What is it like to play in a Game 7?
A. It's pretty intense because at this point both teams know that there's no tomorrow. So the emotion and excitement going into the game is at the highest level you'll have in the playoffs, obviously depending on what round you're in.
You're going to have so many different emotional swings coming into the game. It's a fun time of year, but at the same time there's a lot of pressure.
Whichever team dials that emotion in the right direction has a good chance of winning.
Q. Joel Quenneville said the last two games felt like Game 7s. Is that an advantage for the Blackhawks?
A. I don't think so. The Red Wings are now in the same situation as the Blackhawks; it is Game 7 for them.
The Blackhawks had to approach those games as Game 7 because there was no tomorrow for them. Now you have a different level of intensity that you expect from the Red Wings. They're going to lay everything on the line.
The one thing for the Blackhawks is you worked so hard to get to Game 7, don't let there be an emotional letdown now that you're in Game 7.
Q. How good was it for the Hawks that their third- and fourth-line guys came through big in Game 6?
A. The so-called third-line players on both teams have been very good. The top players in this series have basically been at a stalemate — it's been a dogfight for all those top players — and the difference in some of these games has been from the second-tier players.
If you can get your depth players to make a difference in a game, that's what makes a team successful in the postseason.
Q. If it comes down to goaltending, do you like where Corey Crawford's mind is, especially battling back after giving up a soft one midway through Game 6?
A. I really liked the response. I liked his comments, saying it couldn't get any worse. His mindset was, ‘I've got to do my job.'
And I like the mindset of the players up front, saying they needed to help Corey out in overcoming that goal went in.
I liked his approach. He came up with some huge saves in the second period after that goal went in, and he came up with some huge saves in the third when the game was still on the line.
He responded extremely well.
ŸTroy Murray is in his 13th year as a member of the Blackhawks broadcast team and his eighth year as the color analyst for the team's radio broadcasts. The Selke Award winner was a five-time 20-goal scorer and a veteran of 15 years in the NHL, playing in 915 career games.