MONTREAL — Sloppy play, blown leads, a poor record at home.
It proved all too much for the last-place Montreal Canadiens, who fired coach Jacques Martin on Saturday and put assistant Randy Cunneyworth in charge for the rest of the season.
“The primary reason is the team wasn’t performing as well as it should be in our minds,” general manager Pierre Gauthier said.
Assistant GM Larry Carriere was appointed assistant coach, his first coaching job after a long career in scouting and administration.
Martin, who preaches defense, was in his third season with the Canadiens. He is the ninth-winningest coach in NHL history.
Montreal, which lost to New Jersey 5-3 on Saturday night, is at the bottom of the Northeast Division with a 13-13-7 record. However, it is just two points out of second place.
Crosby is put on injured list
PITTSBURGH — Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, out since Dec. 5 because of a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms, was placed on the injured list. Crosby complained of headaches last week and is taking a cautious approach in his recovery.
Footnotes. The Los Angeles Times said Darryl Sutter has agreed to coach the Kings and will take over the team Tuesday. Los Angeles fired Terry Murray on Monday.
B The Senators acquired forward Kyle Turris from the Coyotes for defenseman David Rundblad and a second-round draft pick.
