Islanders fire Lane Lambert, hire Patrick Roy as coach - ESPN

After less than two seasons, Lane Lambert is out as coach of the New York Islanders, with the club announcing Saturday it has hired Patrick Roy behind the bench.

Firing Lambert comes as the Islanders have struggled to find consistency while also trying to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Islanders (19-15-11) entered Saturday two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in what has become a crowded Eastern Conference landscape.

Even though the Islanders are two points out of a wild-card spot, they have lost four straight games, which is currently the NHL's longest active losing streak. The Islanders have only won twice in their past 10 games.

Hiring Roy sees the Hall of Fame goaltender return to an NHL bench for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when he coached the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons. Roy won the Jack Adams Award in his first season after he led the Avs to the playoffs, only to miss the postseason in his final two campaigns.

Roy, who had been coaching the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL before he took the Avs job, returned to the Remparts' bench at the start of the 2018-19 season. The Remparts reached the playoffs in four of their five seasons under Roy, with the 2019-20 playoffs being cancelled because of the pandemic.

Last season may have been Roy's best as a head coach. He guided the Remparts to a 53-win season that saw them win their sixth QMJHL title and then capture the Memorial Cup for the third time in franchise history.

Roy's first game behind the Islanders' bench could come Sunday when they face the Dallas Stars at UBS Arena.

Roy will now be charged with trying to get the Islanders into the playoffs for a consecutive season while also seeking to find