Murray Q&A: Resilient Hawks weather Ducks' stunning comeback
Troy Murray answers questions ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Monday night in Anaheim.
Q: What was the reaction in the radio booth when Anaheim scored those 3 goals in 37 seconds in the third period of Game 3 to take a 4-3 lead Saturday?
A: I think we were as stunned as everybody else (laughing). First of all, you don't see that happen very often and that's obvious because it's the second-fastest time in the history of the NHL (postseason). All of a sudden when you had a really good feeling that the Blackhawks finally got a little bit of breathing room, 37 seconds later you're just going, 'Oh my goodness. What the heck just happened?'
I think the players themselves were going, 'Whoa. What was that?' There wasn't even time to regroup and think about it. I know Joel Quenneville called a timeout, but right after that they scored again.
I liked what Jonathan Toews said that we have enough experience in this room that we just have to settle things down and understand that we've got some work to do here. We're only down by one goal. …
The resiliency on both sides - for the Ducks to be down 3-1 and respond the way that they did was incredible. And for the Blackhawks, that could have been devastating to any other team in the NHL. All of a sudden they get a power play and respond. No surprise it was a guy like Patrick Kane who ended up putting into the net (to tie it at 4-4).
Q: The Hawks said that Anaheim hitting as much as they have throughout the series isn't affecting them. Do you buy that?
A: It's hard for me to comment on that (not knowing if) the players are absorbing the massive hits or not absorbing the full brunt of the hit. You've got to think that any time you're playing a physical team that keeps that mentality up over the entire course of a game that sooner or later you get a little bit fatigued and you make some mistakes. I think there have been some good examples in the series where the Blackhawks have been a little bit tired and spent a lot of time in their own end of the ice.
It's tough to make plays and execute when you're a little bit tired, a little bit fatigued. I think you've seen some of those situations happen, but I think on the flip side too (the Hawks have) spent time in the offensive zone, and whether you're being completely physical or not, it's hard work defending. Sooner or later, you've worn down. Penalty killing (which the Ducks have had to do 17 times) is very taxing on players.
Q: Jonathan Toews admitted before Game 4 that there was some hatred there between him and Ryan Kesler, but he wouldn't admit that Kesler was getting under his skin. What's your opinion that what they think about each other?
A: I think one of the Blackhawks' biggest rivals was the Vancouver Canucks and a big part of that was the play of Ryan Kesler and his ability to compete as well as he does. I think on the ice it's a heckuva matchup. They're both the same size, they both play with a lot of heart, both play on either end of the ice.
That being said, I think there's a ton of mutual respect for how good both of those players are. When you have guys as competitive as they are when you're going head-to-head, there's going to be some tempers, there's going to be some emotions involved. I can't say whether there's true hatred or not, but it's one of the more interesting matchups that you're seeing right now in the entire playoffs.
• 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.