puck free at the left point and raced the other way alone.

EDMONTON - Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish sacked head coach Dallas Eakins on Monday, saying while Eakins is taking the fall for mounting losses, he isnt solely to blame for whats shaping up to be another dismal NHL season in playoff-starved Edmonton. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Liverpool Jersey . Theres blood all over my hands in this too as well because I put the lineup together and the roster, MacTavish told a news conference at the Oilers downtown offices. But its just the compounding of the losses that led me to this decision. MacTavish will take over as head coach on a transitional basis before handing the reins to Todd Nelson, who is being promoted to interim head coach from Edmontons American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City. MacTavish said he didnt have a timeline on when he would return to the front office. Eakins will speak to the media at Rexall Place, Tuesday at Noon et/10am mt. Nelson inherits a team that has lost 15 of its past 16 games is last in the Western Conference with 19 points through 31 games. The Oilers are on track to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year and Nelson will be the fifth head coach in seven years. Disillusioned fans in recent weeks have begun voting with their feet. Gaps and rows of empty seats are commonplace at Rexall Place, and tickets can be had for fire sale prices. Criticism has been pointed directly at management, including hockey operations boss Kevin Lowe and owner Daryl Katz. Considered one of the hottest coaching candidates when with the AHLs Toronto Marlies, Eakins was the star hire made by MacTavish when he took over as general manager less than two years ago. MacTavish was so keen to lock up Eakins he fired the head coach at the time, Ralph Kruger, on Skype. Eakins, with a four-year deal, was seen as an X and Os wunderkind, on the cutting edge of the new generation of coaches with novel ideas like the swarm defence. It didnt translate to the ice. The Oilers finished with the third-fewest points in the NHL in 2013-14 with a record of 29-44-9 in the one full season under Eakins. They were 7-19-5 so far this year, but the nature of the losses was what rankled fans on social media and phone-in shows. The Oilers, despite offensive magicians like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, and Taylor Hall, are averaging just 2.1 goals per game. The team has been mocked as soft, with forwards not wanting to fight for the puck, preferring to shoot from the perimeter with little follow up. The defence has been exposed as erratic and undisciplined. MacTavish has been criticized for delivering to Eakins just two NHL calibre centres — Nugent-Hopkins and Boyd Gordon — and suspect goaltending in Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth. The firing came just over a week after MacTavish gave Eakins a public vote of confidence, telling reporters then that Eakins still had the respect of the dressing room and that it was up to the players to turn the season around. But the losing continued. I think the fact we werent able to get any traction at all after that, it led me to believe the time was right for a coaching change, said MacTavish. MacTavish more than a week ago, also said there was no point to breaking up the core talent of the team, saying there were so few tradeable assets, any trade would be a simultaneous step forward and backward On Monday, when he was asked again if he would touch the core, he didnt rule it out. I dont want to answer that question until I get a hands-on understanding of exactly whats happening in there (the dressing room), said MacTavish. I want to have ample opportunity to have eyeball-to-eyeball conversations with the core group. With an average age of under 27, the Oilers roster includes three No. 1 overall picks: Hall in 2010, Nugent-Hopkins in 2011 and Nail Yakupov in 2012. All aspects of the organization, including himself, remain under scrutiny, said MacTavish. Ben Woodburn Liverpool Jersey . -- David Ortiz saved his only hit for a key moment for the Boston Red Sox. Mohamed Salah Liverpool Jersey . Damyean Dotson, 19, Dominic Artis, 19 and Brandon Austin, 18, were suspended after the school received a police report concerning allegations made by a student who said she was assaulted by the players in early March. http://www.soccerliverpoolproshop.com/c-48-andrew-robertson-liverpool-fc-jersey.aspx . Jets head coach Paul Maurice made the announcement Saturday following the morning skate and confirmed Al Montoya will start in goal against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders were even with the Florida Panthers in the first period, and coach Jack Capuano liked nothing about it. He let his players know it, and they responded with an impressive final 40 minutes. Josh Bailey had a goal and assist, and the Islanders kept up their strong finish with a 4-2 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night. "We got off to a real slow start," Capuano said. New York, on the verge of elimination in the Eastern Conference playoff race after qualifying for the post-season a year ago, quickly bounced back from Quinton Howdens short-handed goal less than two minutes in and sent the Panthers to their fourth straight loss. Travis Hamonic, Matt Martin and Mike Halmo also scored, Colin McDonald had two assists, and Evgeni Nabokov made 20 saves for the Islanders, 4-0-1 in their past five. "Guys have done a good job keeping each other up, keeping the spirits up even though it can be tough," Bailey said. "When you think about last year down the stretch and how much fun it was, its difficult. We definitely dont want to find ourselves here ever again, but youve still got a job to do." Florida, which won two earlier meetings this season, is one of three NHL teams with fewer points than New York. "No one is happy with where we are," Martin said. "Its a rough year and a year were not proud of, but to be going down the stretch with some wins and playing good hockey definitely feels a little bit better." Brandon Pirri closed the scoring for Florida, making it 4-2 with his 11th goal -- on a power play -- with 5.9 seconds left in the game. Scott Clemmensen stopped 36 shots for Florida, which lost 6-3 at New Jersey on Monday. "We let them capitalize on too many chances," Panthers centre Nick Bjugstad said. "We have to stay positive and try to end the season with better efforts." The action started quickly for the Panthers, who scored short-handed for the second straight night -- the fourth time that has happened in team history. On his first NHL shift, defenceman Jonathan Racine was called for interference when he levelled forward Cal Clutterbuck 42 seconds in. Florida then struck first. Howden knocked the puck free at the left point and raced the other way alone. He easily stayed in front of Frans Nielssen and beat Nabokov at 1:50. Ben Woodburn Jersey. The Islanders tied it on the same power play, 45 seconds later, when Hamonic netted his third goal. Bailey won a faceoff and got the puck back to Hamonic, who snapped a shot through traffic at 2:35. "The surge started to go our way a little bit, but we didnt play our style in the first," Capuano said. "I wasnt happy at all, and I know the guys werent happy, either, but youve got to find a way. You cant have slow starts in this league." Florida gave the Islanders two other power plays in the period in which the Panthers were outshot 11-5. They were about to get an advantage with 2:19 left when Matt Carkner high-sticked Scottie Upshall in front of the penalty box and knocked him to the ice. But Panthers teammate Erik Gudbranson charged Carkner, and they immediately fought. Gudbranson was given an extra penalty for instigating, wiping out the power play. The Islanders added two goals in the second, including Baileys seventh 17 seconds after he served a penalty. McDonald got two whacks at the puck, and Bailey slammed in the rebound at 11:18. New York stretched the lead to 3-1 with 2:24 remaining. McDonald knocked the puck away from Racine at the left point and took off alone. The hard-charging Martin came down the middle and ripped in the rebound of McDonalds shot for his eighth goal. "They kept coming at us, kept crashing the crease," Clemmensen said. "They never stopped working, never gave up on plays all night." Halmo converted his rebound 4:21 into the third to make it 4-1. It was his first NHL goal in his 13th career game. "Everyone in here wants to play hard and be successful and give management something to think about for next season," Martin said. "Were in a profession where no ones job is really safe, so if you want to play here, youve got to show it." NOTES: For the third straight year, Martin was given the teams Bob Nystrom Award, honouring leadership, hustle and dedication. ... Racine and RW Bobby Butler were recalled from San Antonio (AHL) on Tuesday. Butler was scratched. ... With Montreal clinching a playoff spot, the trade between the Canadiens and Islanders in which Thomas Vanek was dealt by New York is completed. The Islanders will receive an extra second-round draft pick and give up their fifth-rounder to Montreal. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '