Murray: Blackhawks know this series isn't over
Troy Murray answers some key questions facing the Blackhawks and the Wild in advance of the Game 3 in Minnesota on Tuesday.
Q: Was that Game 2 victory the best the Blackhawks have played overall in the playoffs?
A: I thought overall that was the best 60-minute performance that they've had. If you look at what the Blackhawks want to accomplish - play well defensively, manage the puck well in the neutral zone, attack offensively - in all three areas, the Blackhawks were very good and very focused the entire 60 minutes.
Q: What about Marian Hossa stripping Ryan Suter to set up the short-handed goal by Jonathan Toews? Is that Suter getting lazy with the puck or Hossa just making a great play?
A: It was a great read by Marian Hossa. Suter tried very hard to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone at the blue line. The puck was wrung around the boards and he had to go from the middle of the ice to the far side. I kind of think that he thought that Marian Hossa was going to let up a little bit.
It was a great read by Hossa to put some pressure right down along the boards. Suter, when he originally got the puck, didn't have a whole lot of options because his team was still in the offensive zone, so he tried to back up with the puck. It just got away from him.
Q: What does Minnesota need to do in Games 3 and 4 to bring the series back to Chicago and tied at 2-2?
A: I think their overall game. I don't think they were satisfied with their performance in the first two games. They didn't get off to a good start in the first game. They rallied back but (were) not able to close the deal out after tying the game up at 3-3. …
As their head coach Mike Yeo said (after Game 2), "That's not us."
If you look at it, the Blackhawks are in the exact same situation they were in last year, winning the first two games and then heading up to Minnesota. They know that (the Wild) play well at home. And the Blackhawks historically under Joel Quenneville have not been very successful in Game 3s of series. They know that Minnesota's going to be excited at playing at home.
I think that Minnesota just has to play their game. I don't think they're satisfied, but a lot of that had to do with the level of play that the Blackhawks showed in Game 2.
But it's not going to be easy. If you think this series is over, you're sadly mistaken. Expect Minnesota to be a much different team with more desperation, and I expect to see them having the effort that they showed (in Round 1) against the St. Louis Blues.
• Murray is in his 15th year as a member of the Blackhawks broadcast team and his eighth as the color analyst for the team's radio broadcasts. The Selke Award winner was a five-time 20-goal scorer who played 15 years in the NHL. Follow him on Twitter@muzz19.