Following a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers have decided to let go of Head Coach Dave Tippett after 171 games in charge of the Oilers.
Tippett had a 95-62-14 record with the club, and this year had the team sitting in 5th place in the Pacific division, 5 points back of the Calgary Flames for the Western Division’s second wild card spot.
The Oilers jumped out to a blistering 16-5-0 record to start out the year but since than the wheels have seemingly fallen off the wagon, with the club slumping down the Pacific Division rankings, following a 7-13-3 stretch, and back to back losses at home following the All-Star break which saw the Oilers give up eight goals and score only once, GM Ken Holland relieved Tippett of his duties early Thursday morning.
Oilers AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors coach Jay Woodcroft has taken over coaching duties for the big club, he was last in the NHL as assistant to Todd McLellen when was coach of the San Jose Sharks and then the Edmonton Oilers before he was let go in November 2018.
Woodcroft was sent down to the AHL’s Condors following McLellan’s exit and will finally have a chance to manage a team in the NHL. His Condors are currently 18-9-7 with plenty of call ups in the big league due to the Oilers injury problems, including William Lagesson and Stuart Skinner.
Assistant coach Jim Playfair, who ran the Oilers defense and PK also out along with Tippett. The Oilers rank 24th in the league’s PK percentage with a kill rate of only 76.7%, and they rank 10th worst in goals against, giving up 146 goals.
This will be the 4th coaching change in Connor McDavid’s seven year career, and the teams 8th head coach since 2009.
BD Sports 