Q&A with Blackhawks broadcaster Troy Murray

Editor’s note: Troy Murray, now in his 11th season as a member of the Blackhawks’ broadcast team, will again provide pregame analysis for the Daily Herald throughout the Blackhawks’ playoff run. 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.

Q. How hard is it going to be for the Blackhawks to go from disappointment and thinking about golf and summer vacations back into playoff hockey mode?

A. I don’t think it’s going to be hard. A lot of them didn’t think they’d be having this opportunity and feel very fortunate to get the break they got in the Minnesota game.

In a lot of ways, I think the pressure has been relieved for them just getting into the postseason. They’re not going to have to deal with the questions about what happened this year, about not getting into the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup last year. Now they’re getting a second opportunity here and I think they’ll appreciate it and use it to their advantage.

Q. Speaking of pressure, how much pressure is on Vancouver in this series and how much would a Blackhawks win in tonight’s game deflate them?

A. There’s a lot of pressure on Vancouver. First and foremost, this has been one of the best rivalries in the postseason the last couple of seasons. So factor that in along with the fact the Canucks won the President’s Trophy this season and they’ve retooled their team to challenge a team like the Blackhawks in all areas. In Canada, the media attention on them is tremendous.

I think there’s a lot of pressure on the Blackhawks as well. They certainly don’t want to go out meekly. They want to put on a great performance and give it their best shot. Everybody’s looking at Vancouver as being the favorite in this series, but if you look at all the playoff matchups — anything can happen.

For the Vancouver Canucks, having to explain another playoff loss would be devastating. Game 1 is going to be a statement game for both teams.

Q. There’s been so much talk about the Blackhawks missing Big Buff for the playoffs. Is that a legitimate concern?

A. It is and it isn’t. There was always that (Dustin) Byfuglien factor in the series against Vancouver. Was it hype? Well, in a lot of ways what it did was it masked the success of the other players in the series. The focus of the rivalry between these two teams in a lot of ways was developed between Roberto Luongo and Dustin Byfuglien.

In a lot of ways it was overblown. The series certainly took different turns with Byfuglien in front of Luongo, but that was not the sole reason the Blackhawks won the series’ the last couple of seasons. A lot of players stepped up and were great in those series.

Q. Who is the one Blackhawks player to watch in this series? Corey Crawford?

A. It’s a very interesting matchup to watch. Roberto Luongo, who needs to take that next step — according to everyone up here in Canada and around the NHL — to show that he can be the guy that the Vancouver Canucks thought he would be. He has to step it up in the postseason.

On the other end is Corey Crawford — a young goaltender who has never faced the pressures of the postseason as a starting goaltender. It’s going to be one of the keys to the series — Corey Crawford being able to outplay Roberto Luongo.