NHL | Canucks fire GM Dave Nonis after 3 seasons

VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Vancouver Canucks fired general manager Dave Nonis on Monday after missing the playoffs for the second time in his three seasons on the job.

Nonis already had been in the organization for six years as director of hockey operations when he took over general-manager duties from Brian Burke shortly before the league lockout in 2004.

"The decision to relieve Dave of his duties was difficult," Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini, whose family bought the franchise after Nonis got the job, said in a statement. "However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It's not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn't in the playoffs."

Vancouver also missed the playoffs in Nonis' first season, 2005-06, and he responded by firing coach Marc Crawford and changing about half of the roster. That included trading controversial forward Todd Bertuzzi to Florida in a six-player deal that yielded All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Nonis, 41, rebuilt the team around Luongo, with the emphasis on defense. The Canucks won the Northwest Division with a franchise-record 105 points in the 2006-07 season under new coach Alain Vigneault, who was voted the league's coach of the year.

But the team again struggled to score this season and, after being hampered by injuries to its top defensemen all season, won once in the final eight games, missing the playoffs.

Monday's playoff games

Wild 3, at Avalanche 2 (OT)

Pierre-Marc Bouchard took a pass from Brian Rolston from behind the net and sent it past Jose Theodore 11:58 into overtime to give Minnesota a victory over Colorado.

Each of the three games in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series has gone to overtime, with the Wild winning twice.

At Predators 5, Red Wings 3

Jason Arnott scored with 3:48 left in the third period, the second Nashville goal in a span of nine seconds, and the Predators rallied to beat Detroit to get back into the West first-round series.

Ryan Suter tied the score nine seconds earlier.

Martin Erat scored an empty-net goal with 21 seconds left to seal the come-from-behind victory for Nashville, which is behind 2-1 in the series.

Penguins 4, at Senators 1

Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal and Marian Hossa scored in the third period to lift Pittsburgh over Ottawa, taking a 3-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference series.

Hossa also had two assists against the Senators, his former team.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Ottawa.

Notes

• Sean Avery, New York Rangers forward, caused the league to add a rule because of his actions in Sunday's loss to New Jersey.

During a five-on-three power play, Avery stood in the crease with his back to the action. Holding his stick upward, Avery waved it side to side and up and down to block New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur's vision.

Players who use tactics such as Avery's in the future are subject to unsportsmanlike-conduct minor penalties.

• The Phoenix Coyotes signed Kevin Porter, 22, a Michigan standout who won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the nation's top college player.