3 Sharks, 3 Hawks to watch with Western final at stake

Unlike the last series against Vancouver, there is no history of bad blood between the Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, but that should change as soon as Sunday when they begin the Western Conference finals at HP Pavilion.

Here are three Sharks that Hawks fans likely will grow to dislike over the next two weeks.

Shark sightings1. Douglas Murray: The big-hitting defenseman is dangerous in the open ice so Hawks forwards had better keep their head up around him. If they don't, watch out for trouble.2. Scott Nichol: Hawks fans will remember him from his brief time in Chicago as a very good fourth-line center with a knack for getting in the face and under the skin of the opposition. He's also very good on faceoffs. 3. Ryane Clowe: He led the Sharks with 131 penalty minutes during the regular season so he is no stranger to scrappy play. He's the muscle on San Jose's second line with Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi.Hawk attacksThese three Hawks must be as abrasive as they were in the second round against Vancouver:Dustin Byfuglien: What's the saying? Don't wake the sleeping giant? Well, the Canucks did in the last round and a riled Byfuglien was perhaps the biggest factor in the series with his ability to be a nuisance at the net. Dave Bolland: Whatever the checking center did to tick off Daniel Sedin last round and take the Canucks off their game, he needs to say or do the same things to the Sharks' big line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. Andrew Ladd: While Byfuglien got most of the publicity last series for his work around the net, Ladd was right there as well annoying Roberto Luongo with a bump here or an elbow there. He'll try to do the same to Evgeni Nabokov.False20001833Douglas Murray is a big hitting defenseman, and the Hawks should feel his presence when he's on the ice.Associated PressFalse