ɪnðə wˈɛstɚn kˈɑːnfɹəns, ɪt wʌzɐ jˈɪɹ ʌv ʌpsˈɛts, æz ðə tˈɑːp fˈoːɹ sˈiːdz ɪnðə plˈeɪɔfs ˈɔːl fˈɛl ɪnðə fˈɜːst ɹˈaʊnd, ðə fˈɜːst tˈaɪm ðɪs hɐz hˈæpənd sˈɪns ðɪ ˌɛnˌeɪtʃˈɛl mˈuːvd tʊ ɐ kˈɑːnfɹəns plˈeɪɔf fˈɔːɹmæt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈoːɹ.
In the Western Conference, it was a year of upsets, as the top four seeds in the playoffs all fell in the first round, the first time this has happened since the NHL moved to a conference playoff format in 1994.