Mike Smith named NHL’s 3rd Star of the Week

This morning, the NHL released their three stars of the week and @Edmonton Oilers goaltender, @Mike Smith, slid in at number three after a pair of fantastic starts in net.

When Mike Smith was signed as a free agent this past summer, plenty of us questioned whether or not it was wise to bring in a veteran goaltender whose best days appeared to be behind him. Don’t those concerns seem silly, at this point? Outside of a few gaffs here and there, Mike Smith has been absolutely brilliant between the pipes and a major reason the Oilers are off to one of their best starts that this website has ever seen. With that in mind, I can’t think of a more deserving recipient for a little league recognition based on the week he just had. After stopping 74 of 76 shots, posting a .974 save%, and a 2-0 record, Smith was a force in net for the Oilers and is certainly a worthy candidate for the NHL’s weekly award as one of the league’s top performers.

So far this season, the 37-year-old native of Kingston, Ontario, has played in nine games for the Oilers (5-3-1), and ranks fifth in the NHL with a 2.12 GAA and seventh with a .931 save%.