The Edmonton Oilers have made a big decision on Thursday as they fired third-year head coach Dave Tippett, who has been struggling to keep the team afloat lately.

Via Darren Dreger of TSN:

This comes just hours after the Oilers lost 4-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday evening. It was their third defeat in four games. Jay Woodcroft, who coaches the team's AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, will take over the head coaching duties for the time being.

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The Oilers got off to an impressive 16-5 start this season, but they've struggled immensely across the last couple of months. Edmonton is just 7-16 since the start of December, which puts them at 23-18-3, good for fifth place in the Pacific Division.

Tippett joined the organization in 2019 after HC stints with the Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars. As for Woodcroft, he was previously an assistant under ex-Oilers boss Todd McLennan. It's clear that Edmonton needs a change on their bench and hopefully this will help them turn things around.

Despite their poor play, both Conor McDavid and Leon Draisatl are lighting up the league, sit at the top of the NHL in points. The Oilers have won just once playoff series since lifting Lord Stanley in 2006 and were shockingly swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2021 postseason, even though they were a heavy favorite to advance. Edmonton fans have dealt with heartbreak year after year, let's hope it might be different this time around.