The Edmonton Oilers have fired head coach Dave Tippett on Thursday with the team struggling in the third year of his tenure.

The team announced Jay Woodcroft, the head coach of the team's American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors will take over coaching duties for the remainder of the season, with his head assistant, Dave Manson also joining him behind the bench.

Oilers assistant coach Jim Playfair was also relieved of his duties Thursday.

The changes come after the Oilers suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Edmonton defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Dec. 1 to improve to 16-5 on the season. Since then, the team has gone 7-16.

General manager Ken Holland said earlier in the season that he didn’t believe in mid-season coaching changes, but made the move with the Oilers sitting at 23-18-3, fifth in the Pacfic Division and five points back of the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card spot..

The Oilers jumped out to a 9-1 record this season, but have failed to find the same success since and endured a six-game losing streak in December. The team's struggles have come despite star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sitting atop the NHL scoring race.

Tippett joined the Oilers in 2019 after serving as head coach for the Arizona Coyotes for eight years from 2009-2017. The 60-year-old spent six years as head coach of the Dallas Stars prior to his time with the Coyotes.

The Oilers reached the play-in round of the 2020 playoffs in Tippett's first season but were eliminated in four games by the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, the Oilers posted a 35-19-2 record in the all-Canadian North Division but were swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs.

The Oilers have won one playoff series - and a total of just six postseason games - since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.

Woodcroft, 45, previously served as an Oilers assistant under Todd McLellan. He was appointed head coach of the Condors in 2018.

Manson, 55, had a lengthy NHL career before joining the coaching ranks. He spent three seasons with the Oilers from 1991 to 1993. A native of Prince Albert, Sask., Manson also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs over a 16-year NHL career.

He joined the Condors at the same time as Woodcroft.