Race Is Wide Open After Rash of Upsets

And then Colorado tumbled.

With the first round complete, four higher-seeded teams have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Avalanche, after blowing a 3-1 series lead, became the latest favorite to fall. It followed the path of New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia--seeded 1-2-3 in the Eastern Conference at the start of the playoffs.

The second-seeded Avalanche was knocked out by No. 7 Edmonton in the West when the Oilers won, 4-0, Monday night in Denver. Edmonton is the 14th team in playoff history to advance from a 3-1 deficit.

The startling first-round results opened the playoff race, particularly in the East where the No. 4 Washington Capitals are suddenly the highest-seeded team.

The Capitals, who beat Boston in the first round, begin the second round Thursday night against an Ottawa Senator team that jolted the Devils in six games.

In the other Eastern semifinal, Montreal will play at Buffalo on Friday night. Both pulled off first-round upsets in six games--No. 7 Montreal beating No. 2 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Buffalo ousting No. 3 Philadelphia.

In the West, Edmonton will play at Dallas on Thursday and Detroit is home against St. Louis on Friday. The Blues swept the Kings in four games and the Red Wings eliminated Phoenix in six.

Keying the Oilers has been goaltender Curtis Joseph, who had two straight shutouts against the Avalanche and gave up only one goal in the last three games.

The Oilers have a habit of causing havoc. Last season, they upset the Stars in the first round.

If anything, the first round showed the extent of parity in the NHL. Of the 46 games, 10 went to overtime and 19 others were decided by two goals or fewer.

NHL Notes

The sale of the Edmonton Oilers to the Edmonton Investors Group Ltd. Partnership was completed. The NHL said in a news release the sale was approved unanimously last week by the league’s Board of Governors, subject to further satisfactory documentation. The sale was closed when the documents were completed. . . .

Gary Roberts, 31, signed a multiyear contract with the Carolina Hurricanes after a successful comeback from neck injuries that forced a season of retirement after the 1995-96 season. The left wing was third on the team with 49 points and 29 assists, and ranked fourth with 20 goals in his first season with the Hurricanes, despite missing 21 games.