Only two series will go to 7 games in this first round of the WCHL playoffs. We've already seen one huge upset in the East and we're looking at a second one if the Sabres don't blow a 3-1 lead.

But first, the big news in the East is the fall of the Presidents Trophy winning Pittsburgh Penguins. This is the second year in a row that the top regular season team has been knocked out in the first round. When everyone though the Pens had too much firepower to lose this one, their crop of highly-skilled forwards didn't show up, only out-shooting the Devils in 1 of the 6 games. It'll be interesting to see what happens this off-season to the Pens as they've had to make some tough choices regarding contracts, and GM Matthews can't be pleased with the play of some of his players (namely the pointless Dustin Brown).

In what shouldn't be a surprise to many people, the battle of New York went to the Manhattan club with the Rangers winning soundly in 5. The Islanders really couldn't get anything going throughout the series and their only real show of life was a 4 goal second period in game 4 when their backs were up against the wall. NYI's Corey Perry and Bran Richard have been lambasted in the media for their performances and are shouldering some of the blame for the quick exit. On the other hand, the Rangers saw all but one player get a point in the series.

The other completed series in the East saw the Flyers cruise to a 5 game win over the Boston Bruins. Many people are blaming the "Cory Sarich incident" from game 1 for creating a distraction within the Bruins dressing room, but ultimately the series was much closer than it appeared with every game seeing balanced play and close scores. Philly will need to be in a New York State of Mind for the next series as they'll take on either the Rangers or the Sabres.

In the West, the Ducks became the first team to advance to the 2nd round with a sweep of the Oilers. The series was much tougher than it appeared on paper with Anaheim needing OT in 3 games to take the series. The Kovy-Nash-Crosby line was just too much for the Oilers as Kovy and Nash put up 8 points and all three were +9.

Second seeded Calgary knocked out the Kings in 5 dominating much of the series. The series started off looking like it could be tight but the Kings had trouble scoring only putting 1 goal by Tim Thomas in their final three losses. The Flames are looking like early favourites to advance to the West final as they've dominated both of their potential Round 2 opponents this season (vs. Colorado: 4-1, Dallas 3-0).

The other completed series in the West saw the Avs take three in a row to close out the series in 6 over the Sharks. The highlight of the series was a 7-6 OT win for Colorado in game 5, which saw the Sharks needing to come from behind and score a last seconds goal to tie the game, only to lose it on a Loui Eriksson goal. Eriksson would be the game 6 hero as well, scoring the game winner. The other surprise is the Avs' Doug Weight leads all playoff scorers with 10 points.