"Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp expects contact — a lot of it. He knows he's a target for the Vancouver Canucks in their Western Conference quarterfinal series as one of the Hawks' best players.

"We're going to get hit again," Sharp said. "It's not anything we're worried about."

Sharp also isn't overly worried about his knee.

Sharp is toughing out a knee injury that cost him seven games at the end of the regular season. There's no questioning the Hawks' need for Sharp in the lineup.

"It's good; no problems at all," said Sharp, when asked how his knee stood up after all the ­Canucks' hits in Game 1.

Sharp's return from his injury April 6 came as a shock to nearly everyone, including his teammates."