FRANCHISE NOTES

          In Tampa, Roy Cummings writes that the sale of the
     Lightning, "probably" to the Maloof family, "could be
     completed within a month" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/15)....In
     Ottawa, 8,500 tickets to both Games 3 and 4 of the Senators'
     playoff series against the Sabres were sold yesterday in two
     hours (OTTAWA SUN, 4/15).  While the Senators' drive to the
     playoffs has already led to a "huge surge" in fan interest,
     team President & CEO Roy Mlakar said that no matter how far
     the team goes, it won't be enough "to wipe the slate clean
     of millions of dollars in losses run up during the
     franchise's five year playoff drought" (OTTAWA SUN, 4/15).
     ....In Dallas, an "unusually" large number of 2,700 tickets
     were available for the Stars' playoff opener Wednesday
     against the Oilers (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/15).