It may not have been the lowest point of his career – a demotion to the minors after establishing himself as an NHL-er was also tough to take – but last season certainly qualifies as one of the more difficult Coyotes goalie Mike Smith has had to endure.
He had six goals skip past him during three separate games in the first month. A seven-game winless streak spanned much of November. And after giving up four goals on 11 shots in barely 21 minutes of action Dec. 22 against the Canucks, Smith’s save percentage plummeted to .884.
“I think it’d be fair to say I was in a pretty bad place mentally the first part of the season just because you’re trying to win so bad,” Smith said.