There were a number of seats that the New Democrats and the Saskatchewan Party considered safe, but many turned out to be nail-biters.

Here are seven of the constituencies, all won by the NDP in 2003, that veteran political observers predicted would flip:

Yorkton — Greg Ottenbreit was elected for the Saskatchewan Party. The New Democrats and Clay Serby had held this constituency since 1991. Serby, who has been undergoing cancer treatment, decided not to run again.

Meadow Lake — The NDP's Maynard Sonntag was re-elected with a margin of one per cent over the Saskatchewan Party's Jeremy Harrison, a former Conservative federal member of Parliament. Sonntag wins a fifth term, capturing 49 per cent of the vote.

Saskatoon Sutherland — Joceline Schriemer, a police officer, defeated Healthy Living Services Minister Graham Adderly, expanding the Saskatchewan Party's beachhead in Saskatoon.

Saskatoon Meewasin  — This one was a three-way battle. Liberal Leader David Karwacki finished third, but trailed the winner by just over five per cent of the popular vote. The NDP incumbent, Justice Minister Frank Quennell won the seat; the Saskatchewan Party's Roger Parent finished second.

Regina Wascana Plains — The Saskatchewan Party won in the NDP bastion of Regina, taking this mixed urban-rural constituency with high-profile Regina police officer Christine Tell.

Prince Albert Carlton  — Darryl Hickie was elected for the Saskatchewan Party in this area where NDP roots run deep. New Democrat Myron Kowalsky, the Speaker of the house, had been re-elected four times since 1986, but he decided not to run again in this campaign.

Saskatchewan Rivers — The Saskatchewan Party's Nadine Wilson won, taking the seat from Lon Borgerson, the minister of regional economic and co-operative development. A rural constituency with a strong Saskatchewan Party presence, Borgerson won by about 600 votes that time and the NDP ended up with a razor-thin majority.