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SUNRISE, Fla. -- Gerard Gallant wanted the Florida Panthers to play one way, and his bosses wanted another.As such, theyre not his bosses anymore.The Panthers cited philosophical differences Monday as the primary reason why they fired Gallant, a coach of the year finalist last season who made it through only 22 games this season. Tom Rowe will essentially take a hiatus from being general manager to fill the coaching spot for the rest of the year, starting with Tuesdays game in Chicago.We wanted to develop a team and build a team that was fast, could move the puck quickly, pressure the puck in all three zones, Rowe said. Gerard and I talked about it. He said he wanted a little bit more size, and we just decided to go in a different direction. Were we on the same page every day of the week? No ... philosophy was different.Florida is 11-10-1, starting Monday only two points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference even after dealing with some serious injuries so far this season. But the Panthers have simply been mediocre in some areas, including power-play (21st out of 30 teams) and penalty-killing (19th).The teams longest winning streak so far this season is two, something the Panthers have managed three times. The last straw apparently was how Florida wasted a 2-0 lead in what became a 3-2 loss at Carolina on Sunday night, though the Panthers front office had discussions long before that collapse about making a change.Weve been unhappy with the inconsistent performance, Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell said. I just think we can be playing better at this stage of the season. So we decided a change is necessary to move in a different direction.Players were off Monday, though Rowe was meeting with them to discuss both the decision to fire Gallant and how he wants certain defensive schemes to change on the ice.Gallant was a standout left wing as a player, primarily for the Detroit Red Wings -- scoring at least 34 goals in four straight seasons from 1986 through 1990 and finishing his NHL career with 211 goals in 615 games. He was drawing rave reviews as Floridas coach, especially after last season when he steered the team to the best regular season in franchise history.He was under contract through the 2018-19 season, having signed an extension back in January.And then it all came to a most unceremonious end Sunday night, when his luggage was taken off the bus that was carrying the Panthers to the airport from the arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. A taxi soon arrived to pick up Gallant, as the Panthers took off for their trip to Chicago.The Panthers ownership and other team officials rely heavily on advanced statistics, and Gallant was not the biggest fan of analytics. He spoke openly about how his views differed from the perspective of Floridas management on the analytics issue in August 2015, at a fundraising event hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island.Gallant told a story about how an unnamed former Florida player looked great to the analytics staff but wasnt the sort of player he wanted.I couldnt stand watching him on the ice, Gallant said that night in Canada. I didnt like the way he played one bit.Part of Floridas issues has clearly been injury-related.Jonathan Huberdeau has not played yet this season and isnt expected back for several more weeks, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen have missed significant amounts of time and Alex Petrovic is now expected to miss up to two months with an ankle injury.Plus, Jaromir Jagr has just three goals so far this season after leading the Panthers in scoring a year ago. And while all that was taken into consideration, it wasnt enough to get Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly -- who also was fired -- any more time in Florida.Its a tough business, said Rowe, the Panthers 14th coach in their 23-year history. But when the results arent there, decisions have to be made that arent easy. Nike React Sale . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Nike React Discount . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. http://www.nikereactwholesale.com/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Nike React Cheap .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Best Nike React Shoes . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. ATHENS, Ga. -- The honeymoon is over for Kirby Smart.Georgias rookie coach is dealing with his first defeat, a blowout at the hands of Mississippi, and things dont get any easier this week when No. 11 Tennessee visits Sanford Stadium for a Southeastern Conference game that has become a virtual must-win if the Bulldogs want to be a serious contender in the East Division.Weve always said around here, `Humility is a week away, said Smart, who certainly sounded more humble on Monday than he had at previous news conferences. When you talk about the SEC, you never get a chance to rest.Smart and the Bulldogs got a sampling of that last week in Oxford, where they fell behind 31-0 at halftime and 45-0 in the third quarter before a couple of meaningless touchdowns that did little to ease the sting of a 45-14 rout.Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) barely held its place in The Associated Press rankings, plunging 13 spots to 25th.While Smart is always eager for his players to turn their attention to the next opponent, he doesnt want them to totally put aside the last game. There were myriad mistakes that need correcting, from about 15 missed tackles to at least five dropped passes, a couple of which mightve changed the course of the game.I dont think you ever forget it, Smart said, before adding, When youre playing a team like Tennessee, you better get over it quick.Georgias most immediate concern is the health of star running back Nick Chubb, who sustained a sprained left ankle in the first half and didnt return.Smart said its too soon to determine if Chubb will be able to play against the Volunteers (4-0, 1-0), who are riding high after a 35-point second half rallied them to a 38-28 victory over No. 23 Florida.Were obviously hopeful hell be able to do something, but we wont know more until later in the week, Smart said.If Chubb cant go, the Bulldogs still have plenty of options at tailback, from veterans Sony Michel and Brendan Douglas to freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien.Theres always a lot of good running backs at Georgia, so I think well be fine, Douglas said.A bigger issue for Georgia is the guys up front.Since an impressive showing in the season-opening win over North Carolina, the backs have struggled to find a lot of running room. The Bulldogs managed only 167 yards rushinng against FCS school Nicholls State, and they were held to 101 by Missouri.ddddddddddddThe Bulldogs did have 230 yards on the ground against Ole Miss, but most of it came after the Rebels had built a commanding lead and were basically trying to avoid big plays. Still, Smart was encouraged by the way his linemen blocked for the run.We actually improved in that area, he said. It was all the other areas that imploded on us.Indeed, freshman quarterback Jacob Eason completed just 16 of 36 passes for 137 yards and had one interception returned for a touchdown. It didnt help that he faced heavy pressure most of the game, leading to three sacks, or that his receivers dropped all those passes.Smart also was miffed at the way his defense played. The Rebels piled up 510 yards on offense, not exactly the sort of performance he was used to seeing in his previous job as Nick Sabans defensive coordinator at Alabama.Right now, were not a really good tackling defense, Smart said. The offenses we play, they get explosive plays on everybody. Its more about limiting those. How do I give up less? If we tackle better and you take nine of the 15 missed tackles away, then you take away about seven big plays.Tennessee will be playing its first true road game of the year, its only trip outside of Neyland Stadium being a neutral-site contest at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Volunteers have a shot at sweeping Florida and Georgia, the teams expected to be their toughest challengers in the East, which would be a commanding position even this early in the season.This will be our toughest challenge to date, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Monday. They have our attention. They have our respect.Game notes Jones said he expects LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (shoulder) to play Saturday but considers LB Darrin Kirkland Jr. questionable to doubtful. Kirkland has missed two games with a high ankle sprain.---AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Knoxville, Tennessee contributed to this report.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '