Against the Hawks, Vanek feels there could be more chances than the defensively-suffocating Blues.
"Against St. Louis, the focus, especially for our line, wasn't to be creative," Vanek said. "It was to be good defensively. We played a lot against the Lehtera, Stastny line so it was making sure that we made it hard on them. At the same time, we countered hard on them a few times, especially when Zucker got to our line. But again, the focus wasn't to create much, it was more to make it tough for them. But Chicago is different. They have four lines that can score and they can create. Creating is going to be more of a premium in this round."
This quote is kind of funny. Asked if he measures success by points, Vanek said, "I think when the goals go in, you measure it by points. When they don't, you try to be positive and look at the chances. Against St. Louis, there weren't many chances; the premium was on defense and checking. I thought our line did good. We shut them down and played well for the most part. Offensively we created a few chances and they just wouldn't go in for us. Chuckie got one finally. But I told him, we just need to stay positive and our time will come."
Asked if there's pressure on him in his first postseason with the Wild to make a difference, Vanek said, "Sure. You want to be a difference maker this time of year. The St. Louis series was tough. There wasn't much there. There were a lot of guys with open net goals. The score didn't necessarily reflect the series sometimes. But Chicago is two-time Stanley Cup champs. To me, they're still the best team in the league. For us, it's a tough task but I think we're up for it. For our line, we have to create like we have been and even more."
Asked if he wants to prove people wrong after last postseason with Montreal, Vanek said, "Each postseason is different. Last year was tough for me. I got there at the deadline and found my niche early on and got away from that. I think you bring that experience of playing a little bit less and make sure you're sharp, where last year I don't think I was as good as this when my ice time was a little bit limited. I wasn't as good as I should've been, but I've learned a lot from that series and that's what I take away from it."
Vanek said he's motivated to win a Cup, something you appreciate as you get older in your career and you've had previous playoff success without getting to the pinnacle.