Smith or Dubnyk: Who Should Start in Net Against the Oilers?

With the first week of the 2014-2015 NHL season officially in the books, the Arizona Coyotes are looking to regroup after their first two games against the Winnipeg Jets and the Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes have a three day break until they return to Gila River Arena against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, October 15th. The Arizona Coyotes are currently 1-1-0 with a 6-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets and a 3-2 OT win against the defending Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings. The primary difference between those first two games were in fact the goaltenders as Dave Tippett elected to go with Devan Dubnyk for the second game instead of Mike Smith. This raises the question of who should start the next game moving forward. Should the Coyotes ride the hot glove of Devan Dubnyk after his performance against LA or do the Coyotes go back to their starter Mike Smith after his atrocious performance against the Winnipeg Jets?

Mike Smith:

Oct 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) makes a save on Winnipeg Jets center Mathieu Perreault (85) as Zbynek Michalek (4) defends during the first period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

It was a shaky start for goaltender Mike Smith in the season opener against the Winnipeg Jets last Thursday. He made some amazing saves when need be, but also let in a few soft goals as well. The inconsistent play of the Arizona Coyotes starting goaltender was apparent Thursday night. The Winnipeg Jets put up 27 shots on net and Mike managed to deny 21 of them for a .778 save percentage. In fact, Smith’s save percentage ranks dead last in the NHL right now with Cam Ward and Ben Scrivens both right above him at .808. So what went wrong? Well that is the golden question that Dave Tippett needs to figure out an answer to. Hopefully resting Smitty on Saturday night against the Kings can cool him off and help him prepare for the next few games on the schedule. If not, it is going to be a long season for the Arizona Coyotes.

Devan Dubnyk:

Oct 11, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) covers the puck during the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

After the frustrating loss in game number one, Dave Tippett shocked Coyotes fans across the nation by deciding to start backup goaltender Devan Dubnyk against the Los Angeles Kings instead of Mike Smith. This would be Dubnyk’s first start as a member of the Coyotes organization and it is certainly one to remember. Not a lot of people expected to see this goaltender between the pipes so early on this season, but the results were definitely pleasing. After two first period goals from LA, it looked like it was going to be another long night at Gila River Arena but in fact, those early goals were going to be the only pucks to get by Dubnyk. Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 of 26 shots fired against him to finish the night with a .923 save percentage as the Coyotes clawed back to win the game in overtime.

Goalie controversies are never a fun thing to deal with and it’s honestly too early to tell if we have one on our hands in Arizona or not. With the Coyotes off until Wednesday, expect a decision to be made regarding the starter for Edmonton on either Monday or Tuesday. Mike Smith is 8-1-1 in his career against Edmonton with a 2.58 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. Devan Dubnyk on the other hand, has no stats against the Oilers as that is his former team.

Vote below for who you think Dave Tippett should start on Wednesday night.