Playoff Preview: Can the Ticats stay perfect at Tim Hortons Field? Or will Montreal triumph?

Continuing on with our Playoff Preview series, here's a look at the crucial matchups in Sunday's East Final between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes (1 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN). Also see our West Final Playoff Preview.

Montreal offence: Two hair donations: The Alouettes may have put up 50 points in last week's divisional semifinal demolition of B.C., but there are still plenty of issues with their offence. On the year, they were second-last in points per game and yards of offence per game, and last in gain per rush and gain per pass. Even last week, they only recorded 155 passing yards. Their ground attack is promising, notching 207 combined rushing yards and four touchdowns against the Lions, led by Brandon Rutley collecting 98 yards on 15 carries and Chris Rainey adding 71 yards on just three carries. That duo should get most of the carries again this week with the news that Tyrell Sutton isn't healthy enough to go.

The biggest question may be how Jonathon Crompton does in just his second playoff start, though. He was all right last week, completing 14 of 21 passes for the aforementioned 155 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he certainly has a promising group of receivers in Duron Carter, S.J. Green, and Brandon London. Still, in what sets up as a possible duel with Hamilton pivot Zach Collaros, Montreal may need more aerial production.

Montreal defence: Five fumble return records: The Alouettes' defence was crucial to their recovery from a 1-7 start to finish the season at 9-9, and it played a huge role in their victory over B.C. as well. The biggest strength of this unit is the linebacking corps, led by Bear Woods (our First Star this past week) and Chip Cox, but there are plenty of other talented players on this defence too. On the year, they were fourth in yards allowed and tied for fourth in points allowed, and that doesn't fully illustrate how much they improved in the second half of the season. They held the Lions to 102 passing yards and 147 rushing yards last week, with two interceptions, plus a fumble return for a touchdown. They'll be tough to beat Sunday.

Montreal special teams: Four star kickers: The special teams didn't have to do a ton last week, but kicker/punter Sean Whyte was solid when called upon, averaging 42.4 yards per punt on five attempts. On the year, Whyte has been great in both the punting (44.9 yards per attempt, fourth-best in the league) and kicking (a 87.2 per cent success rate on field goals, also fourth-best in the CFL) games. Returner Mardy Gilyard is less proven though.

Hamilton offence: Four free-agent signings: Ticats' quarterback Zach Collaros battled injuries this year, but he's generally made the transition from a backup (albeit one who started a fair bit of the season for Toronto in relief of the injured Ricky Ray last year) to a starter well. On the year, he only threw for 3,261 yards, but he did so efficiently, posting a 65.8 per cent completion rate and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Passing will be critical to the Ticats' attack, as they were second in the CFL in passes attempted (622), completed (402), passing yards per game (269.7) and completion percentage (64.6 per cent), plus third with 7.8 yards gained per pass.

The Hamilton ground game is more iffy. On the year, they've gone through several backs thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, and their starter for Sunday is former Winnipeg RB Nic Grigsby, who they only signed Oct. 21. Grigsby was decent in the Ticats' regular-season finale against Montreal, collecting 93 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. We'll see how he does this week.

Hamilton defence: Five incredible recoveries: That linked story on Ticats' DB Delvin Breaux is an amazing one about his comeback from a collision in high school football that broke a bone in his neck and ended his college career before it started, and it's an appropriate one for this team this year. This Hamilton team also looked dead at one point, but managed to recover and ascend to the top of the East for the first time since 1998, and a lot of that was thanks to strong defensive play. The Ticats' defence was especially good against the run, allowing a league-low 4.6 yards per run, 76.8 rushing yards per game and 90 rushing first downs. They were weaker against aerial attacks, giving up a middling 7.5 yards per pass and 260.4 passing yards per game (second-worst in the league), but overall, they still only allowed 314.2 offensive yards per game (second-best in the CFL) and 21.9 points per game (tied with Montreal for fourth-best). They'll be crucial to the Ticats' hopes of success Sunday.

Hamilton special teams: Four returns from the NFL: Justin Medlock has had a great season in the kicking game since returning from the NFL, connecting on 88.0 per cent of his field goal attempts (third in the CFL), and Brandon Banks has been dynamite in the return game, finishing second in the league with 1,342 combined return yards. However, Medlock has been less effective as a punter: his average of 41.9 yards per punt is 12th (and last) amongst punters with more than 15 attempts this year.

Add them up: Montreal 11, Hamilton 13.

X-factor: Tim Hortons Field: The Ticats are 6-0 at home since moving into their new stadium, where they've received substantial infrastructure upgrades and increased fan support. They should have a great home-field advantage again Sunday, as the stadium sold out days after the team found out they were hosting the East Final. That crowd won't make things easy for the Alouettes.

Prediction: Hamilton 21, Montreal 17. The Hamilton defence stops the run, and Collaros makes a few more plays than Crompton.

Thanks for reading! Also check out our preview of the West Final.