Rocky road ahead

NHL teams

In what seems to be a battle of good defenses, Ottawa Senators stunned the home-crowd and the New Jersey Devils by winning the first game in the series in overtime, 2-1.

The Dominator was not at his sharpest, but it didn't matter as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2. The Sabres played a very physical game, administering crushing hits on Flyers' forwards.

Before playoffs started, many considered the Edmonton Oilers as a team that can do damage in the playoffs and the team is doing exactly that by beating the Colorado Avalanche with three third period goals, 3-2.

The Detroit Red Wings took the first step towards repeating as Stanley Cup champions by disposing of thePhoenix Coyotes convincingly, 6-3. Detroit held a 6-1 lead after two periods and seemed to slow down a notch in the last period.

The Dallas Stars looked very strong in their first post-season action winning over the San Jose Sharks, 4-1.

In what looks like a toss-up series, the Washington Capitals took the first round as they beat the Boston Bruins, 3-1.