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Murray: Blackhawks must keep focus without Keith in lineup

With the Blackhawks opening the NHL playoffs at St. Louis, Troy Murray discusses the challenge the Blues present, the absence of Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith for Game 1, and the postseason pressure awaiting rookie Artemi Panarin.

Q: Will the Blackhawks have to change their game plan for Game 1 because they are without the suspended Duncan Keith?

A: Individually you're going to miss a player like Duncan Keith. But overall you're not going to change your game plan. In the playoffs, things tighten up defensively. Your concentration has got to be in your own end of the ice whether it's Duncan Keith or anybody else that's missing from the lineup.

But you don't change the structure just because you're missing one player. You miss the individual player and his ability to make a difference in the game, but that doesn't change the structure.

Q: How big of a loss is it for the Hawks?

A: Well, players are going to be hurt in the postseason. There's going to be other teams missing significant players for more than one game. It's one game. It is what it is. You can't change the situation. … Other players are going to have to play bigger minutes in key situations. …

You look at some of the key players (missing) around the NHL going into the playoffs - like a Steven Stamkos. (The Lightning winger is out 1-3 months with a blood clot). There's uncertainty there of when those players, if at all, could get back into the postseason.

For Duncan Keith, you know it's one game and you'll see him Friday night.

Q: How difficult is it to stay patient against a team like St. Louis, one that wants to keep games as low scoring as possible?

A: St. Louis has always been a good defensive team. Ken Hitchcock, their coach, is an extremely structured-minded coach, and a lot of their focus is what they do in their own end of the ice.

This is a different hockey team than the Blackhawks have seen in the past. Their defense is more mobile. They've added a different skill level to their lineup. And it's not going to be easy. You're going to have pay the price like you do any playoff series to get to the middle of the ice, to win battles in the offensive zone. St. Louis is going to do whatever they can to keep the Blackhawks to the outside.

Q: Artemi Panarin says he doesn't feel any pressure unless he's in a prolonged goal-scoring drought. How do you expect him to play in his first Stanley Cup playoffs?

A: There's no indication to say that he's not going to be able to compete at a very high level. But it's going to be something that he hasn't seen before. …

It's not going to be easy. Everybody has high expectations of what Panarin can do in the postseason and what that line can do as a whole.

If you look at it in the big picture, it's a little bit of an unknown. But you feel pretty confident the way he's been able to handle the grind of the long season. He's got great guys in the locker room for support in all areas. He's really close with Patrick Kane, and I think throughout the playoffs those two players will lean heavily on one another, especially Panarin toward Patrick Kane.

I, along with the Blackhawks, think he's going to be just fine.

• Troy Murray is in his 16th year as a member of the Blackhawks broadcast team and his ninth 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.

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