Mike Smith

Game Day: Phoenix Coyotes @ Colorado Avalanche

November 2, 2011

In one of three games on the Wednesday night schedule, the Colorado Avalanche host the Phoenix Coyotes at 7:30 MST. Sitting just two points apart, the Avs currently hold the fifth spot in the Western Conference while the Coyotes sit in ninth. Phoenix won three of four games between the two last season, including two occasions where the opposition failed to come up with a single goal.

Tonight, Phoenix looks to take their winning streak to three games whereas Colorado will try to make it two in a row. The Avs are 7-4-0, but only got their first home win on Sunday against the Kings, as Matt Duchene scored the game winner in the early moments of the third per...

Game Day: Los Angeles Kings @ Phoenix Coyotes

October 20, 2011

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In the first of two meetings between the Kings and the Coyotes in October, one team is looking to build a three-game winning streak while the other is looking to rebound from a paltry showing that saw them outshot 35-16 against the Chicago Blackhawks and outscored 5-2. In the "probably bad news" category, however, the last time the Coyotes managed this little offense was against Los Angeles.

The Kings have three consecutive wins against the Coyotes and are looking to come out of tonight's game in similar fashion, while Phoenix is trying to move past Tuesday's performance with the knowledge that a big win is needed tonight.

Q...

Game Day: Chicago Blackhawks @ Phoenix Coyotes

October 18, 2011

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The Coyotes saved very little visible emotion for their former selves on Saturday, shelling the Jets' opposition with 34 shots compared to only 19 in return on their way to a 4-1 win. Now the 2-1-0-1 'Yotes face off against the 2-1-0-1 Blackhawks, who are coming off a shootout loss against the Boston Bruins. Half of the four matchups between Phoenix and Chicago last year went to a shootout.

While their records through the first four games are identical, their power plays are not. Chicago even allowed a shorthanded goal on Saturday, and their record sits at 11.8% compared to the Coyotes' 23.8%. Last year, the Blackhawks went for a combin...

Game Day: Winnipeg Jets @ Phoenix Coyotes

October 15, 2011

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It's the clashing of two different eras at the Jobing.com Arena tonight at 7 p.m. EST, as the Winnipeg Jets of the new age face the team they've become since they left Canada fifteen years ago.

They're coming into Phoenix as the only NHL team without a win or a point in 2011-12. The Coyotes' record against the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise is 12-1-1, and they are 10-3-1 in their home openers since moving to the desert. But they will be facing a hungry team with several wild cards in their lineup.

The last time these two teams faced one another in February, the Coyotes beat the then-Thrashers 4-3.
Photo: NHL.com

Game Day: Phoenix Coyotes @ Dallas Stars

October 10, 2011

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The Phoenix Coyotes' 6-3 opening night loss at the HP Pavilion on Saturday night, complete with several inopportune penalties and a frightening number of defensive breakdowns, will surely be something they'll want to bounce back from this afternoon as the puck drops at 5 p.m. Dallas time. Shane Doan, celebrating his 35th birthday today, scored two power play goals and led his team with 6 of 29 shots on goal. On the other end of the ice, new Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith saw a whopping 52 shots fired in his direction. The Coyotes haven't allowed that many since early 1997.

Phoenix has won their last two contests in Dallas ...

Game Day: Phoenix Coyotes @ San Jose Sharks

October 8, 2011

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The fifteenth season of the Phoenix Coyotes is finally set to kick off tonight as they host the San Jose Sharks at 7:30 p.m. PST. As per the usual recipe, many questions surrounding the franchise continue to bubble up to the surface, the most prevalent of which was the focus of the Coyotes’ new ad campaign launched this week. On a team scale, league-wide “experts” continue to place them near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, or more specifically, the “not quite as bad as those Oilers but close enough” position of 14th. Bear in mind that they also did this last year (actual position: 6th) and th...

Three new players welcomed to pack

July 2, 2011

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The Phoenix Coyotes added some grit, depth and goaltending on Friday to begin their plunge into the free agency market, also bringing back a familiar face. Raffi Torres (2 years, $3.5M), Boyd Gordon (2 years, $2.65M) and Mike Smith (2 years, $4M) were all signed to contracts, while Radim Vrbata re-signed with the club in a three-year, $9 million deal of his own.

Welcome (back, for one)! In the opposite vein, defenseman Ed Jovanovski left for Florida, veteran centreman Eric Belanger found a new home with the Oilers and Vernon Fiddler became a Star.

Oh.

Torres was last seen in the not-so-distant past. The Stanley Cup finalist appe...