EASTERN FINALS
GAME DAY PREVIEWS
GAME 1:
#4 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs #7 BUFFALO SABRES
Series Tied 0-0
Game time: Sunday May 23rd, 1999 2pm at Toronto
The seeds of a fierce rivalry figure to be planted today when the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs open the Eastern Conference finals at the Air Canada Centre.
The "Battle of Lake Ontario" pits two teams separated by only 80 miles who have never met in the playoffs. The Sabres are trying to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in team history and the first since 1975. Toronto is trying to end one of hockey's longest championship droughts. The last time the Maple Leafs played for the Cup was 1967, when they captured the last of their 11 titles.
The seventh-seeded Sabres swept the Ottawa Senators in the conference quarterfinals and ousted the Boston Bruins in six games in the semifinals. Toronto needed six games to dispose of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 1994.
Thise series also features two of the game's top goaltenders. Buffalo's Dominik Hasek has been his stellar self in the playoffs, leading all goalies with a .942 save percentage while recording a 1.77 goals-against average.
However, Toronto counterpart Curtis Joseph is among the NHL's top playoff performers and his numbers are remarkably similar to those of "The Dominator." "Cujo" has a .930 save percentage and a 1.80 GAA.
Hasek and the stingy Sabres will have their work cut out for them as the Maple Leafs were the highest scoring team during the regular season. Toronto has finally begun to play like the top scoring team. After managing nine goals in its first seven playoff games, Toronto combined for 14 in winning three of its last four.
Captain Michael Peca, who leads the Sabres with 11 points, figures to have the difficult task of trying to check Leafs captain Mats Sundin. Sundin is tied with left wing Sergei Berezin for the team lead with nine points.
Berezin scored one goal in each of the last three games against Pittsburgh.
Game Two is Tuesday at Toronto.