Connor Murphy made his NHL debut November 16th, 2013. He’s played 825 regular season NHL games but tonight will be his first playoff game with fans in the building. He played nine playoff games for Chicago in the 2020 bubble in Edmonton, but with no fans in the crowd, Murphy didn’t get the authentic playoff experience. He will tonight and he can’t wait.

I sat down with Murphy on Friday to discuss Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks. Murphy has loved his 20 games in Edmonton, and he’s heard about how loud the building is in the playoffs so his excitement was evident when we chatted about the opportunity to not only play in the playoffs for a team with a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup, but in front of a ravenous, boisterous crowd.

Connor Murphy: I’m really excited. I just think of watching and being a part of intense games and knowing the little moments in the game and the reaction it gets from crowds. I think in a regular season game whether you throw a hit or a block shot, sometimes you might hear a few people give a little bit of something, but usually not a lot. Other than goals, you’re not getting as big of roars or as big of an intense feeling from momentum shifts and I think that’s what I’m most excited for is to hear that and feel that energy of a face-off, of a line rush, of a penalty kill or a key blocked shot. To feel that intensity and really ride that adrenaline rush. I can’t wait.

Murphy: I think so. Yeah, I think it’s harder, specifically for myself, I find playing some teams who are smaller that don’t like to play physical that want to play off of you most of the game is almost harder, because you don’t feel a lot of contact. And when they are forechecking, they’re not coming through you. You kind of can’t read which side of your body they’re going to take when you’re trying to make passes.

There are little parts of the game that I feel like a lot of players, especially physical defencemen, if you can feel a hit whether you’re getting hit or giving a hit it gets you into the game and it gets your balance and your physicality and your intensity up right away. It allows you to get a read for defending on who’s your guy and even when they are forechecking and attacking, they come through you and you feel pressure and know where to release of a guy or where to pump pucks out or to pass to your partner. So overall, I just prefer the physicality, and I think it allows me to read the game and anticipate plays better.

Murphy: It has helped because, like you said, when you have a guy who thinks similarly to how he wants to pressure and the goal he has for the game and for a shift and what he wants to imply as a defenceman, you can understand his reads better.

If you know going into a corner he’s going look to do what you would do and that’s get a stick on puck and get physical, then you can read off that and know that you can jump the next guy that is an option. And once you can pressure hard and attack it is easier to defend and we have been doing that as a defensive pairing, but also as a group of five. We’ve been trying to do that as a team, and I think it just makes defending quicker and better and doesn’t matter how skilled the other team is if they don’t have time and space, you’re not going to make many plays.

Murphy: Yeah, there has been. I could see it since I got here. The seriousness that switched into our play. You can tell with the experience they have and how much they want to be in these big moments. You can just feel that it’s not just being satisfied with having a good record and having a chance to make the playoffs and there’s not even really a reward for that. In here it is about getting that Stanley Cup and I think that’s what’s what makes it so admirable to be here as a player. To join this group. You want to be a part of guys who have that ultimate goal of reaching the top and are not just satisfied with getting wins and making the playoffs.

You can see that in their play and how the seriousness is as amped up in the details of the game and making sure that we’re defending as a whole, while knowing that we can create some offence with our star power.

Murphy: No, not at all. That’s probably what I’m worried about most. I’m not as worried about defending and the penalty kill as I am about what this beard is going to do. It’s more of a chin and a lazy mustache. I might have to trim the cheeks because it just gets the odd hair, and it might be too late to go to Thailand to get some hair implants. But we’ll work on it.

Murphy: Yeah, my parents are going to come right away. My dad’s coached and played in the NHL for a while and he’s never had the chance to see me play in the playoffs. And really a lot of times he’s been coaching, he didn’t get to see me play in general. So, for him to not be coaching now and have the time to come will be awesome. And he actually coached with Knobber (Knoblauch) in Hartford a few years ago, so there’s been a connection with him. It will be a really big moment for our family to be here for the games. They can’t wait and I’m pumped they are coming.