A dreadful second-half free fall left the Sabres with little choice but to fire coach Phil Housley after his second year on the job.

The team made the move Sunday, a day after the Sabres closed their season with a 7-1 victory in Detroit.

Buffalo finished 13th in the Eastern Conference standings and joined the 2016-17 Flyers in becoming the second of 50 NHL teams to miss the playoffs in the same season they won at least 10 straight games.

The Sabres collapsed down the stretch by going 16-33-8 after a franchise-record-matching 10-game winning streak that ended in late November.

Buffalo extended its playoff drought to eight seasons, which now stands as the NHL’s longest active streak.

The Panthers fired coach Bob Boughner, who led the team for two seasons and didn’t get to the playoffs in either one. Assistant coach Paul McFarland also was fired. Panthers general manager Dale Tallon called it “a tough decision” and says the team needs a coach with a “Stanley Cup pedigree.” ... The Kings said Willie Desjardins is not a candidate to become the next head coach after serving in an interim role most of the season. The Kings were 27-34-8 under Desjardins, who was hired Nov. 4 after John Stevens was fired 13 games into the season.