First Look

Detroit (49-22-11) vs. Washington (40-30-12)

* Season series: Detroit, 2-0.

* Top scorers: Detroit--Steve Yzerman 24 goals, 45 assists and 69 points; Washington--Peter Bondra 52-26--78.

* How they got here: Detroit defeated Phoenix in six games, St. Louis in six and Dallas in six; Washington defeated Boston in six games, Ottawa in five and Buffalo in six.

* Team goals-against average: Detroit 2.35 (seventh); Washington 2.43 (11th).

* Power play: Detroit 17.6% (sixth); Washington 15.7 (13th).

* Penalty killing: Detroit 86.4% (ninth); Washington 89.2% (first).

* Top playoff scorers: Detroit--Steve Yzerman 4-16--20; Washington--Adam Oates 5-9--14.

* Playoff power play: Detroit--15.3% (17 goals in 111 power-play advantages); Washington--17.65% (12 goals in 68).

* Playoff penalty killing: Detroit--88.3% (12 goals in 102 short-handed situations); Washington--87.9% (12 goals in 99).

* Keys: Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig has been the surprise of the playoffs and will have to continue to play big in order for the Capitals to have a chance against the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings. Kolzig outplayed Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek in the Eastern Conference finals and is considered a more reliable goalie than Detroit’s Chris Osgood, his counterpart in the finals. In his first season with the Capitals, Coach Ron Wilson has led Washington to its first-ever Cup final in 24-year history of the franchise. The Capitals will have to make up for their lack of up-front speed with solid play-making from creative forwards Adam Oates, Joe Juneau and Brian Bellows. Detroit’s quickness and depth will give Washington problems but the series may just come down to which team’s high-scoring forward is more productive in Detroit’s Sergei Fedorov or Washington’s Peter Bondra. Fedorov has eight goals and 17 points in the playoffs compared to Bondra’s six and 10. Role players will also be important as the Red Wings have received strong postseason efforts from Martin Lapointe and Jamie Macoun, while the Capitals have been bolstered by the play of Bellows and Calle Johansson. The Red Wings’ wild card is Osgood, who has had some shaky moments in the playoffs. In each postseason round, Osgood has given up a bad goal that led to either a Detroit defeat or overtime. His overall play, however, has been solid and Detroit has too many weapons for Scotty Bowman not to gain his eighth Stanley Cup to tie Toe Blake for most Cups won by a coach, with eight. Red Wings in six.