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Arizona Coyotes Top Reasons They Won’t Make Playoffs

By William Grigsby

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Dec 4, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Johan Larsson (22) skates in on a breakaway against Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith (41) during the second period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

 1. Mike Smith’s absence

Even with the critics of Mike Smith’s play last season, he was the starting goalie, and will be missed while injured. So far, it looks like Louis Domingue may take the spotlight away from Anders Lindback with his recent excellent play. Shutting out the Islanders is no small feat, and he then followed that up with another win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been playing much better of late.

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    • Without the experienced Mike Smith, the Arizona Coyotes depth at goaltender is thin, at best. If he gets back in March sometime, the season will be pretty much over, and he will still need to rehab and get back into shape to play competitively. So, if the Coyotes don’t qualify for the post-season, most will remember that Smith was out, and blame their failure on that.

    In reality, it seems the team plays better in front of Smith’s backup (whomever it may be) than they do when he is between the pipes. It seems like his decline in play this season could have been similar to Martin Hanzal’s nagging back injury. Smith may have started trying to play through the injury, instead of getting it looked into by the medical staff for evaluation.

    We’ve been told by GM Don Maloney that he will everything possible to find a replacement for Smith, but he is not about to go after a “rental” goalie. If Domingue continues his torrid play, he may not have to worry about it.

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