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| - Canadian teams will still be completing the regular season while the National Hockey League playoffs begin Saturday with the Boston Bruins visiting the Washington Capitals. A campaign truncated due to Covid-19 saw seven Canadian clubs put into one division playing each other to avoid US-Canada virus travel restrictions. The Toronto Maple Leafs, chasing their first Stanley Cup since 1967, boast the NHL's top goal scorer in Auston Matthews with 41. They have already clinched the all-Canadian division crown over second-place Edmonton, powered by center Connor McDavid, who has 33 goals and a league-best 71 assists. The Leafs won't open against Montreal in a first-round showdown until Thursday while Edmonton and Winnipeg open their best-of-seven series on Wednesday. The Bruins and Capitals both lost out in the East division to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will begin their first-round series against the New York Islanders on Sunday. Boston was powered by Brad Marchand, who scored 29 goals this season, while the Capitals were sparked by Russian star Alex Ovechkin, who scored 24 goals this season and with 730 career goals rank six on the NHL's all-time list. Penguins star Sidney Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist with 24 goals and 38 assists, will lead Pittsburgh against the Islanders. Defending champion Tampa Bay will open on Sunday against the Florida Panthers but it was the Carolina Hurricanes who captured the Central division title, the team's first divisional crown since winning its only Stanley Cup in 2006. The Hurricanes, who begin their first-round series at home Monday against Nashville, are ignited by Sweden's Sebastian Aho, who has 24 goals and 33 assists this season. The Vegas Golden Knights had the most wins in the NHL this season, capturing 40 of 56 games, but Colorado could still top them for the West division crown on tiebreakers. The eventual division champion will open against St. Louis starting on Monday with the runner-up opening on Sunday against Minnesota. js/dj
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