Islanders fire Lambert, replace him with Patrick Roy

The New York Islanders fired coach Lane Lambert and replaced him with Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy on Saturday, a stunning midseason change behind the bench for the disappointing former Eastern Conference playoff contenders.

President of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the move to dismiss Lambert and bring in Roy, who hasn’t coached in the NHL in nearly a decade. Roy has been mentioned in consideration for several vacancies since.

The Islanders have lost four games in a row and six of seven to fall out of a playoff spot.

Lambert was midway through his second season on the job. Roy coached the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons from 2013-16 before abruptly resigning a month before training camp.