Mike Smith Through The Years

Mike Smith has had a roller-coaster season this year.

We have seen a save percentage as low as .636 and as high as .976 this year for the Arizona Coyotes goaltender as well as a goals against as low as 0.92 and as high as 11.09. All and all it has been an inconsistent season full of hot and cold streaks for Smith. With that being said, Mike Smith has been showing improvements along the way that should give Coyotes fans relief knowing that he will be back to form between the pipes this Fall.

Since his arrival in the desert in 2011, Mike Smith has been the “go-to” guy for the Coyotes franchise. The organization has made it clear that they want to build their team from the net out, and that starts with Smith himself.

He has had seasons with stellar numbers and a solid playoff run to add to his resume. Rest assured, Mike Smith will continue to work on his game, and get back to the performance that fans are accustomed to seeing.

2011-2012:

Record: 38-18-10 GAA: 2.21 SV%: .930 SO: 8

The inaugural season of Mike Smith’s emergence in the desert was definitely one to remember. A diamond in the rough at the time, the Coyotes were able to sign this goaltender to a two year, $2 million deal. Smitty quickly made a name for himself from the beginning. His 38-18-10 record would eventually lead the Phoenix Coyotes to their first ever Pacific division championship.

Many people were skeptical with Mike Smith’s signing considering he was placed on waivers with Tampa Bay in February of 2011. After a decent career in Phoenix by Ilya Bryzgalov, fans desired a goaltender who would be a step above him. Goaltending coach Sean Burke quickly began working with Smitty to give the fans exactly what they wanted.

In his first game with the Phoenix Coyotes, Mike Smith stopped 46 of 52 shots in a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks. While that first game was rough, Mike Smith would have more to offer in the season to come.

Most Notable Game: April 3, 2012 Columbus Blue Jackets @ Phoenix Coyotes:

As the 2011-2012 season was coming to a close, Mike Smith showed no signs of slowing down. The playoffs were right around the corner, and Smith wanted to show the league that he was ready with his new team. The Columbus Blue Jackets came to Jobing.com Arena to do battle with the Phoenix Coyotes in what would be Mike Smith’s shining moment with the team.

Smith did not allow a goal on April 3rd and managed to stop all 54 shots that he faced. He was locked in to give the team their 40th win of the season. Mike Smith would set the NHL record for most saves in a regulation shutout win with 54, which would later be broken in 2014.

2011-2012 Playoffs:

Record: 9-7-0 GAA: 1.99 SV%: .944 SO: 3

The 2011-2012 Phoenix Coyotes became a team that relied heavily on their goaltender. Mike Smith’s play depicted if the team would come out of the game with a win or a loss; which continued in the playoffs. Even as the 3rd overall seed in the Western Conference, Phoenix was an underdog going into game one against Chicago.

Mike Smith’s presence between the pipes ultimately lifted the team past the Blackhawks in six games. The next test was the preseason favorite Nashville Predators who Mike Smith and the Coyotes defeated in five games. The 2012 Western Conference Final was a goaltender vs. goaltender matchup between Mike Smith and Jonathan Quick, of the L.A. Kings. The Coyotes Cinderella run would unfortunately end there. Smith’s play throughout the playoffs provided a promise for the future.

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2012-2013:

Record: 15-12-5 GAA: 2.58 SV%: .910 SO: 5

Mike Smith was held to high expectations going into his second season with the Coyotes franchise. With a glorious playoff run under his belt, #41 was looked to as the guy to bring Lord Stanley to the desert. This season was unique, as play was postponed until January 19, 2013 due to a lockout. The abbreviated season did not fair well for the Coyotes, as they ultimately lost out on a playoff spot by four points.

Mike Smith was mediocre this year. He was middle of the pack with all of his statistics through his 34 games played. He was in fact tied for the most shutouts in the league with a total of five for the 2012-2013 season.

Most Notable Game: February 11, 2013 Phoenix Coyotes @ Colorado Avalanche:

Because of the shortened season the entire NHL only played within their conference. Mike Smith did not face anybody from the Eastern Conference that entire year. This game against the Avalanche was a road game thriller. The Phoenix Coyotes hopped into seventh place in the West to keep their playoff hopes alive. Mike Smith remained hot throughout the game as he stopped 41 of 43 shots faced. The team would be victorious after a Shane Doan goal in overtime.

Mar 5, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) makes a save on Vancouver Canucks left wing Chris Higgins (20) during the shootout at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes won 3-2 in a shootout Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

2013-2014:

Record: 27-21-10 GAA: 2.64 SV%: .915 SO: 3

The offseason in 2013 seemed to be one that solidified Mike Smith as the future of Arizona goaltending moving forward. On July 1, 2013 Mike Smith signed a 6-year $34 million deal with the Coyotes franchise. This would make Smith one of the highest paid goaltenders in the league. His stellar performance in the 2011-2012 playoffs ultimately sparked the deal.

Mike Smith was healthy and ready to roll on with his third season as the starter for the Phoenix Coyotes. Smith looked red hot in the season opener with a solid 23 save effort in a 4-1 win against the New York Rangers, as the Coyotes sought to make a return to the playoffs.

Smith would continue to ride his hot glove and end the season with an impressive .915 save percentage. He continued to face numerous amounts of shots as the 2013 tally ended up being 1,712; ranking him fourth among NHL goaltenders.

The Phoenix Coyotes came extremely close to a playoff berth this season. They would ultimately fall two points outside of the final Western Conference wild card spot. On March 24, 2014 in a game against the New York Rangers, Mike Smith would go down with an injury and never returned. The lower body injury would ultimately end his season early. Without Smith as the leader in the crease, the Phoenix Coyotes would fall to 3-4-3 in the final ten games and fell out of the playoff picture.

Most Notable Game: October 19, 2014 Detroit Red Wings @ Phoenix Coyotes:

This game against Detroit would be significant for a few reasons. Due to the realignment the Coyotes would only face their rival Red Wings just twice that year with this one being the final game. The Phoenix Coyotes would end up sweeping the season series with a 5-2 victory on October 19, 2014.

The other significant factor would be Mike Smith. Aside from his 31 save performance, Mike would end up scoring an NHL goal. Smith would flick it all the way down the ice with 0.1 seconds left on the game clock for the final goal of the night. He would become the eleventh NHL goaltender to score a goal.

2014-2015:

Record: 14-42-5 GAA: 3.16 SV%: .904 SO: 0

No one expected Mike Smith to have the season he had in 2014. For a goaltender making $6 million a year, these were not the numbers he was supposed to put up. His record of 14-42-5 does not indicate his performance in the slightest. The team was near dead-last in goal differential which did not help him out. Smith began to find his game towards the end of the season. Pre-All Star Break he had a dismal 3.51 GAA and a .887 SV%. Post-All Star Break he was very different with a 2.81 GAA and a .920 SV%.

Most Notable Game: February 9, 2015: Arizona Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks:

The worst season in franchise history was finally coming to a close once the Coyotes hit the month of February. Thankfully for Coyotes fans, Mike Smith and the month of February go hand-in-hand and this night was nothing different. Mike Smith proved that he was no match for the All-Star lineup that Chicago had to offer. He managed to stop 36 of 38 shots faced which earned him the first star of the game in a shootout victory. Smith kept his composure through a flurry of shots in the final minutes of the game like the one below:

While Mike Smith has not put up consistent numbers lately, look for him to shape up in the offseason and return to form in October.

Next: Howlin' Hockey Top 10: Mike Smith Saves with the Coyotes