Following another disappointing postseason, the San Jose Sharks on Monday fired coach Ron Wilson, as reported by Yahoo.com.

A search for a new coach will begin immediately, according to GM Doug Wilson. [READ]

The Detroit Red Wings are just a win away from the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Dallas Stars, 5-2, in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night.

Pavel Datsyuk scored on two backhanded shots to give the Wings a 2-1 lead heading into the second period, with Niklas Grossman finding the net on a wrist shot inbetween Datsyuk's strikes.

Detroit (21) took three more shots on goal than Dallas (18), which also happened to be the difference on the scoreboard at the end of the night.

The Stars' Brad Richards scored at the 3:47 mark in the second period to tie the game at 2-2, but Jiri Hudler gave Detroit the lead at the 11:54 mark and the Wings never looked back.

Henrik Zetterberg netted an insurance goal very early in the final period, stretching the lead to 4-2.

Datsyuk, who took four shots on goal and reached the net three times, completed the hat trick with a wrister in the final minutes to officially seal the win.

The Red Wings served four more penalty minutes in the win, but made their shots count as 23.8% of their attempts found the back of the net.

Chris Osgood absorbed sixteen shots, allowing just two to get past him. Marty Turco, on the other hand, posted a save percentage of just 76.2%.

Game Four will be Wednesday night as the Red Wings look to complete a sweep of the Stars, who will attempt to make a historic comeback beginning at home. [READ]

The Hurricanes on Monday announced that the club has agreed to terms of a one-year contract with defenseman Bryan Rodney, as reported by Yahoo.com.

The deal, which includes a $30,000 signing bonus, will pay Rodney $500,000 at the NHL level and $55,000 at the minor league level. [READ]

The Canadiens on Monday agreed to terms with center Ryan White on a three-year contract, as reported by Yahoo.com.

Financial terms were not disclosed. [READ]

Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn is doubtful for Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals after taking a puck to the face in Game Two on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press.

The Flyers sent Coburn to an ophthalmologist for tests, but they don't believe his left eye was damaged.

"He is doing better, and we have no reason to think that there is anything wrong with the eye itself," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "Our doctors who were at the game thought he was fine. We just wanted to get it checked out by an actual ophthalmologist."

His left eye was swollen shut after a deflected puck hit him in the first period of Philadelphia's 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh. [READ]

Nashville Predators' President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed restricted free agent forward Martin Erat (mahr-TIHN EE-rat) to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract.

“Martin Erat is a perfect example of this organization’s philosophy,” Poile said. “He came to us as a seventh-round draft pick and grew steadily into an elite player when given an opportunity to succeed. He has continued to take on more responsibility and is an integral part of our team moving forward. We look forward to his leadership and production for the next seven years.”

Erat, 26 (8/29/81), established career highs in goals (23), game-winning goals (6), and tied a personal best in points (57) in 2007-08. He also notched his first career hat trick, a natural hat trick, on March 4 at Edmonton, becoming the second player in franchise history to record a three-goal game on the road. The 6-0, 195-pound left wing was one of three Predators to earn weekly league honors in 2007-08, being named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on Nov. 19 after posting two game-winning goals and six points (3g-3a) in two games that week.

A veteran of 407 NHL games, Erat became the third Predators' draft pick (along with David Legwand and Scott Hartnell) to appear in 400 games for the club on March 20, 2008 vs. Detroit. Originally Nashville’s 12th selection, 191st overall (seventh round) in the 1999 Entry Draft, he will enter the 2008-09 campaign third on both the Predators' all-time scoring list (253) and assists' list (168), having averaged 53 points over the past four seasons for Nashville. Erat has also been an key part of Nashville’s four consecutive playoff appearances, playing in 20 of the club’s 22 playoff games all-time while tying for the team lead in playoff points (1g-3a) in the 2007-08.

The Trebic, Czech Republic native served as an alternative captain on several occasions during the 2007-08 campaign, including the final 20 regular-season games and all six postseason contests. He is currently representing his nation at the IIHF World Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Quebec City, the fourth time he has represented the Czech Republic on the world stage. [READ]

This year's version of the Red Wings might be the best team Nicklas Lidstrom has ever played on, according to the Detroit Free Press.

"I think this is as good as we've played, as long as I've been here with the team," Lidstrom said Saturday night.

The Red Wings are currently leading the Stars 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals.

Lidstrom has played for some pretty good teams during his tenure in Detroit, which began in 1991. The Red Wings have won three Stanley Cups with the defenseman on the roster.

"We're playing real well with the puck, but real well without the puck, too. We're not giving them many shots. We try to keep them on the outside and not give them a whole lot of chances outside. We've played playoff hockey, too," Lidstrom added. [READ]

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night to take a 2-0 series lead.

Sidney Crosby scored first, with a slap shot on a power play at the 10:48 mark in the opening period, in a game that turned out to be very physical.

Pittsburgh's Tyler Kennedy and Philadelphia's Scottie Upshall got into it just a few minutes into the game, drawing a pair of 5-minute fighting penalties.

Pascal Dupuis of the Penguins was called for interference at the 4:58 mark in the second, leading to a power play goal by Jeff Carter that tied the game at 1-1.

Several hooking and cross-checking penalties were called in the second period as Marian Hossa and Mike Richards both found the net during the latter ten minutes of the period to make for a dramatic final twenty minutes.

Tied at 2-2, Maxime Talbot gave Pittsburgh the lead on a wrist shot less than nine minutes into the final period.

It was Talbot's first appearance in the series because of a foot injury suffered while trying to block a shot against the Rangers in the second round.

The Flyers tried to mount several rallies, but were unsuccessful as Jordan Staal put the game away with an empty-net goal with just 29 seconds left in regulation.

Martin Biron recorded 34 saves, while allowing three goals.

Marc-Andre Fleury notched 30 saves, while letting two slip past him.

Pittsburgh's defenders kept Danny Briere out of the mix, allowing him to get off just one shot on goal in almost twenty minutes of ice time. He entered the series tied for second in playoff points (14).

Game Three will be Tuesday night in Philadelphia as the series shifts to Eastern Pennsylvania. [READ]

The Red Wings signed Finnish forward Ville Leino to a one-year entry level contract on Saturday, according to NHL.com.

The financial terms of the contract were not released.

In six Finnish Elite League seasons, Leino has scored 69 goals with 136 assists. [READ]

Mike Ribeiro and Chris Osgood have been fined for their altercation at the end of Detroit's Game Two victory, according to a report on ESPN.com.

The NHL decided on Sunday not to suspend the Stars' center or the Red Wings goalie, instead fining them an undisclosed amount.

In the closing seconds on Sunday, Osgood used his stick to poke Ribeiro, who responded from behind the net with a two-handed stick slash across the goalie's chest.

"He actually tries to do it. It's not like he accidentally hit me," Ribeiro said. "He kind of was bent down, raised up, and clipped me in the face."

He claimed he was only retaliating.

"If he doesn't do that, I don't think I react, I have no reason to do what I did," Riberio said.

Osgood obviously disagreed, saying, "By no means was I trying to hit him in the face with my stick." [READ]

The Red Wings will be without leading scorer Johan Franzen for at least two games after he was a late scratch in the team's Game Two win over the Stars on Saturday night, according to The Detroit News.

Wings general manager Ken Holland said that Franzen is suffering from "concussion-like" symptoms, a result from a hard hit in the team's semifinal series against Colorado.

"He's going to see a specialist on Monday," Holland said. "In the Colorado series, he was having headaches. Nothing significant, but he was having problems with headaches. Finally after Game 1, (Friday) morning he mentioned to the trainers that the headaches persisted."

"We talked to the team doctors, and we think he should have some tests to make sure what he's got." [READ]

Thrashers' co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. cleared something up on Saturday night as he refuted a report that the team asked GM Don Waddell to step down, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Reports circulated on Friday night that the Thrashers were pushing for Waddell to step down and accept another front office role with the team.

"The rumors that Don Waddell has been asked to step down are completely false," Gearon said in an e-mail to the Journal-Constitution. "Ever since the president position opened up in January, people have speculated that Don would be a fit in that position. That is a testament to his talent and potential beyond just the GM role. Don is very highly respected in Atlanta, in NHL circles, and certainly among our ownership group." [READ]

The Stars might be without scoring leader Mike Ribeiro in Game Three against the Red Wings if the NHL opts to suspend him, according to The Dallas Morning News.

After the team's loss to Detroit on Saturday night, Ribeiro went behind the opposing net and reached over to make a two-handed slash with his stick across Detroit goalie Chris Chris Osgood's chest.

Ribeiro was given a ten-minute match penalty that NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell will review for possible further discipline.

"I think Osgood thought Ribeiro was going to try to run him, and Osgood sticks his stick out," Dallas Coach Dave Tippett said. "Then Ribeiro turns around and slashes him, which is not right, but something made Ribby do that. He's not going to turn around and hit the goalie like that. That's not the way that works." [READ]

The Detroit Red Wings took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference Finals series with the Dallas Stars with a 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

Detroit's Darren Helm found the net first in Game Two, scoring on a wrist shot at the 5:56 mark in the first period.

Stephane Robidas then tied the game for the Stars a few minutes later with a slap shot during a Dallas power play, which was triggered by a holding penalty on Detroit's Brad Richards.

Henrik Zetterberg scored the final goal of the night at the 15:13 mark of the first period, this time using a slap shot to take advantage on a Detroit power play.

The Red Wings registered 34 shots on goal to just 18 for the Stars, thanks in part to tremendous play from Detroit's rotation of defenders.

Marty Turco recorded 32 saves, but allowed one goal too many in the loss.

There were eight penalties in the second period, while Dallas committed five in the final twenty minutes.

Game Three will be Monday night in Dallas as the Stars look to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole against the surging Red Wings. [READ]

Center Max Talbot could return for the Penguins against the Flyers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press.

He has been sidelined with a broken foot for the team's last three games.

"He looked pretty good," Coach Michael Therrien said. "We're going to sit down with him and see how he feels."

He broke his foot while blocking a shot in Game Three of their semifinal series against the Rangers. He returned to practice for Pittsburgh on Saturday. [READ]

Joel Quenneville will not return to coach the Colorado Avalanche next season, according to The Denver Post.

General Manager Francois Giguere cited a difference in hockey philosophy as the reason why Quenneville will not return behind the boards next fall.

"You have to merge your philosophy on how to play with the players that you have," Giguere said. "I think we've always built our team with players that are successful in an environment of a high, up-beat tempo and puck-possession type of game." [READ]