Goal Line Report
Next entry: Officially a Losing Streak
Previous entry: Valiquette to Start
A Fish out of Water
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/22/08 at 02:00 PM ET
Comments (0)
This would be the perfect way to describe Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Mike Smith.
He’s up, he’s down, he’s to the left, he’s to the right, he’s on his belly, he’s on his feet, etc. However, it’s a style that works for Smith and his statistics through the first month and a half of the regular season.
In 14 games, the 26-year-old is 5-4-5 with a 2.35 goals against average, a .932 save percentage (fourth in the league) and 1 shutout.
Oh yeah, he’s also faced 497 shots (sixth in the league) and has stopped 463 (fifth in the league) of them.
Now, this could be because he’s playing behind an especially week Lightning defense and also because he allows a lot of rebounds but nevertheless, he’s getting the job done for his hockey club. Because of the way he has played thus far, he has been able to give his team a chance to win every night, especially since Rick Tocchet has taken over behind the bench.
In three games under Tocchet, he’s allowed six goals on 101 shots while going 1-0-2. He was especially good last night against the Nashville Predators when he made 34 saves in a 4-1 victory. His goaltending allowed the Bolts to grab a lead in the game and actually hold onto it.
The future appears to be bright for Smith but the question remains “How much longer can he handle facing close to 30-35 shots per game before being worn out?
Let’s hear your thoughts on Smith!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Mike+Smith, Nashville+Predators, Rick+Tocchet, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
What do Drury and Dubi mean to the Rangers?
Rangers Looking to Put out The Flames
Team USA to win Medal with Goaltending?
Torts and Wilson like Cally for Team USA
An Interview with Tyler from Nhl Digest
About Goal Line Report
The Goal Line Report will focus on all things Eastern Conference. Do I have a bias towards the Eastern Conference just because I am a New Yorker? No, but it certainly does make things easier! I’ll make my opinions known on Eastern Conference news bits (as often as I can), big games, hot and cold players, trades (I don’t make things up) and anything and everything else related to the Eastern Conference that I think is important for hockey fans to know. I will, in every sense of the word, be the beast of the East while also making sure to drop my thoughts on other hockey news items.
I, Patrick Hoffman, have covered the NHL since 2003 and have worked for a variety of hockey media sources including: Stan Fischler, Spector’s Hockey, TheHockeyNews.com, HockeyBuzz.com, McKeen’s Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, XM Home Ice Channel Hockey Blog, HockeyPrimeTime.com, FantasyHockey.com. NY SportsDay, and HokejaVestnesis.com.
For questions, comments or to talk hockey, feel free to send me an e-mail at .