Edmonton fired Peter Chiarelli on Wednesday in an indictment of his roster moves in three-plus years as general manager, with the Oilers in striking distance of a playoff spot during another losing season.

The team announced Chiarelli’s abrupt dismissal in the aftermath of its third consecutive loss. Edmonton has lost 12 of its last 16 games going into the All-Star Break. The Oilers are 14-14-2 since firing Coach Todd McLellan and replacing him with Ken Hitchcock.

CEO Bob Nicholson will oversee hockey operations and the search for Chiarelli’s replacement. Keith Gretzky will assume GM responsibilities for the time being.

Chiarelli was the GM for the Boston Bruins from 2006-2015; the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

CANADIENS 2, COYOTES 1: Mike Reilly scored in the third period, Carey Price made 30 saves and Montreal won at home.

MAPLE LEAFS 6, CAPITALS 3: Nazem Kadri scored three goals as Toronto sent visiting Washington to its seventh straight loss.

Washington’s Alex Ovechkin tied Sergei Fedorov for most NHL points by a Russia-born player (1,179) with a second-period goal.


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