LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights fired Coach Peter DeBoer on Monday in the aftermath of missing the playoffs for the first time in their five-year franchise history.

General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made the announcement and thanked DeBoer for his work with the organization.

“Since joining the organization, Pete and his staff have guided us through some of the most unique and challenging circumstances we’ve witnessed since our franchise entered the NHL,” said McCrimmon, whose job is not in jeopardy. “After lengthy discussions over the last two weeks, we believe that a new coach will put us in the best position to succeed next season.”

Vegas failed to qualify for the playoffs after a barrage of injuries compounded by salary cap problems wreaked havoc on the lineup, most notably in goal. The Golden Knights at one point were first in the Pacific Division but after 82 games found themselves three points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference despite acquiring center Jack Eichel in a trade with Buffalo and other moves along the way designed to make them a perennial championship contender.

The organization having a short leash on coaches is nothing new. DeBoer coached the Golden Knights for 2 1/2 seasons after being named in January 2020 to replace Gerard Gallant, who guided the team to the Stanley Cup final in their inaugural season in 2017-18 and back to the playoffs in 2019.

Under DeBoer, they reached the playoffs the previous two years and lost one round before the Stanley Cup final each time.

DeBoer, 53, is the fourth coach to lose his job since the regular season ended, joining Detroit’s Jeff Blashill, Philadelphia’s Mike Yeo and the New York Islanders’ Barry Trotz.

ISLANDERS: When the New York Islanders fired Coach Barry Trotz, General Manager Lou Lamoriello believed the team needed a new voice.

That new voice is coming from inside the same coaches’ room.

The Islanders named Lane Lambert as Trotz’s replacement, giving his longtime assistant his first head coaching job in the NHL. It took just a week from the decision to move on from Trotz with one year left on his contract for the team to conclude that Lambert was the right choice to succeed him.

“There is without question a new voice,” Lamoriello said during a virtual news conference. “That new voice is here with Lane, and certainly Lane has different thoughts on different things.”

Trotz was fired last week after the Islanders missed the playoffs for the first time in his four seasons behind the bench, a disappointing turn of events chalked up significantly to opening with a 13-game trip and getting hit with a string of coronavirus absences and injuries.

Lamoriello said a major reason for this move was a stretch in January when Lambert took over coaching duties from Trotz, who took a leave of absence to deal with a family matter, and showed impressive leadership.

SUNDAY’S LATE GAME

FLAMES 3, STARS 2: Johnny Gaudreau scored 15:09 into overtime to lift host Calgary past Dallas Stars in Game 7, giving the Flames just their second playoff series win in the last 17 years.

Gaudreau got a rebound and put a sharp-angled shot over Jake Oettinger, who made 64 saves for Dallas – a franchise record for the most stops in a Game 7.

The Flames will face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference’s semifinal in the first postseason Battle of Alberta since 1991. The series opens Wednesday in Calgary.

Tyler Toffoli and Matthew Tkachuk scored their first goals of the series for the Flames. Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots and had an assist in the win.

Calgary’s Darryl Sutter improved to 8-3 in Game 7s – the most wins by a coach in those situations in NHL history.

Jamie Benn and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Stars.

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