Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning have fired head coach Guy Boucher.
Team vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman made the announcement early Sunday morning.
"Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done," Yzerman said in a statement. "But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise."
Assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix ran the team Sunday night in a 3-2 loss on the road to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Lightning are 13-18-1 this season and are currently six points out of a playoff spot.
Tampa Bay experienced instant success in Boucher's first year behind the bench, going 46-25-11 in 2010-11 and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Boston Bruins by a 1-0 score in Game 7.
The Lightning regressed last season and missed the playoffs after compiling a 38-36-8 record.