The San Jose Sharks fired coach Ron Wilson on Monday after his club followed another outstanding regular season with yet another early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Sharks won the Pacific Division title and compiled the NHL's second-best record with 49 wins and 108 points, but the Dallas Stars knocked them out of the second round in six games on May 4. San Jose has ended its past three seasons with six-game losses in the second round, and general manager Doug Wilson decided his coach would take the fall for his talented playoff underachievers.

"Sometimes the class needs a new professor, and sometimes the professor needs a new class," said Doug Wilson, who claimed the Sharks played only "five good playoff games" among their 13 postseason outings this spring.

"The results (show) we didn't get over that hump," Doug Wilson added. "We kind of got to a certain point, and we got bogged down. You can't just sit back and assume things will be different. I'm not going to apologize for where we're at, but where we're at today is we're not playing, and we think across the board that we should be farther along."

The Sharks led the NHL in total victories over the past four seasons, but San Jose never repeated its trip to the 2004 Western Conference finals in the last three years despite fielding one of the NHL's most talented rosters starring former MVP Joe Thornton, captain Patrick Marleau and goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

Ron Wilson, who coached nine seasons in Anaheim and Washington before joining San Jose, became the Sharks' leader in victories and winning percentage while going 206-134-45 and winning two division titles during 4 1/2 seasons behind their bench. His 518 victories are the eighth-most in NHL history, trailing only Mike Keenan and Bryan Murray among active coaches, and he's ninth with 1,091 career games coached.

"In most ways I was shocked when Doug told me, but in some ways I guess I was not surprised," Ron Wilson said in a telephone interview. "When it happens when you don't expect it, you're disappointed. I can honestly say that I couldn't be prouder of my work here. I think our team's record speaks for itself. Obviously we didn't win a Stanley Cup while I was here. I'm disappointed in that as any coach would be."

Rob Zettler and Tim Hunter, Ron Wilson's respected assistant coaches, remained under contract to the Sharks and will be candidates in Doug Wilson's coaching search, the general manager said.

COBURN DOUBTFUL TONIGHT: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn is doubtful for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight after taking a puck in the face on Sunday night.

Coburn's left eye was swollen shut after a deflected puck hit him early in the Flyers' 4-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

There was no structural damage to his face, but the blow opened a cut that required more than 50 stitches to close.

If Coburn can't go in Game 3, Ryan Parent is expected to take his place in the lineup. Parent is a speedy defenseman who played 22 regular-season games and dressed for the playoff opener at Washington.

PREDATORS SIGN ERAT: The Nashville Predators have signed forward Martin Erat to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract.

Erat ranks third on the team in career scoring (253). He joined Nashville in the 2001-02 season after being selected in the 1999 draft.

The 26-year-old Czech Republic native has averaged 53 points over the past four seasons with Nashville and had a career-high 23 goals in the 2007-08 season.

Erat has played more than 400 NHL games, all with Nashville, including 20 of the club's 22 playoff games.

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