EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW CAPSULES

No. 2 OTTAWA

vs.

No. 7 TORONTO

Best of seven

Friday: at Ottawa, 4 p.m.

Saturday: at Ottawa, 4 p.m.

Monday: at Toronto, 4 p.m.

April 18: at Toronto, 4 p.m.

April 20: *at Ottawa, 4 p.m.

April 22: *at Toronto, 4 p.m.

April 24: *at Ottawa, 4 p.m.

* if necessary; all times Pacific

THE BREAKDOWN

* Team records: Ottawa 48-21-9-4, Toronto 37-29-11-5.

* Season series: Ottawa 4-0-0.

* Coaches: OTT--Jacques Martin, 17-27 (.386) in playoffs. TOR--Pat Quinn, 68-64 (.515) in playoffs.

* Scouting report: Plenty of blood will be shed in the battle of Ontario. Ottawa is an offensive powerhouse, sparked by star Alexei Yashin’s return from self-imposed exile. Forwards Marian Hossa, Shawn McEachern and Daniel Alfredsson chipped in with standout offensive seasons. The Maple Leafs’ season has been plagued by rumor and spin. As if daily reports of Eric Lindros’ impending arrival weren’t enough of an annoyance, the Toronto media then had Rob Blake all but wearing a Maple Leaf sweater. The distractions were evident on the ice, as Mats Sundin struggled through a couple of dry spells and the Leafs couldn’t get consistent scoring past their first line. Old-timer Gary Roberts’ 29 goals were enough to lead the team. Both teams have unspectacular but solid defensive units.

* Goaltending: Ottawa knows that Curtis Joseph is a force to be reckoned with. Cujo faced the Senators in last season’s playoffs and gave up only 10 goals in six games. Ottawa’s Patrick Lalime finally gets a shot at postseason play. Lalime posted numbers almost identical to Joseph’s during the regular season, but Joseph has 87 postseason starts to Lalime’s zero.

* Team leaders: OTT--Alexei Yashin (40 goals, 48 assists, 88 points). TOR--Gary Roberts (29 goals); Mats Sundin (46 assists, 74 points).

* Late-season additions: OTT--RW Mike Sillinger, D Curtis Leschyshyn, LW Eric Lacroix. TOR--D Aki Berg.

* Injury report: Ott--C Radek Bonk (thumb), indefinite. Tor--LW Garry Valk (eye), indefinite.

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THE MATCHUPS OTT TOR Goals scored 274 (3) 232 (14) Goals allowed 205 (9) 207 (T10) Power play pct. 18.6 (10) 16.1 (18) Penalty killing 86.4 (3) 85.0 (10) Goals against avg. 2.47 (9) 2.49 (11) Save percentage .908 (8) .908 (7) Avg. penalty min. 13.0 (5) 17.4 (26) Short-handed goals 10 (T10) 2 (30)

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