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.
Mike Smith now has a .931sv%, 5th best among goalies with 6+ games played. Mikko Koskinen is 10th at .922.#Oilers goaltending duo has been fantastic and big reason Edmonton sits first in the western conference at 10-4-1.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) November 2, 2019
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%.
MIKE SMITH’S SEASON SO FAR
Season | GP | GS | W | L | T | OT | SA | GA | GAA | Sv% | SO | MIN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019-20 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 262 | 18 | 2.12 | .931 | 1 | 509 |
NHL Career | 580 | 560 | 248 | 239 | — | 69 | 16,969 | 1,487 | 2.69 | .912 | 39 | 33,186 |