The Sharks' third line, anchored by Chris Tierney, has faced some of the toughest trios in the NHL during the team's run to the Stanley Cup finals, from the Anze Kopitar line for the Kings in the first round to the Mike Fisher line for Nashville in the semifinals.
The final challenge could be the most difficult.Tierney, Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson, or a combination of those three with Matt Nieto, are likely to face Pittsburgh's dynamic combination of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel -- the so-called HBK line, which has 45 points in the playoffs.