Goaltender Mike Smith proved on Saturday why he's such an important member of the Coyotes. Smith stymied the Blackhawks in a 3-2 shootout win and coach Dave Tippett offered a ton of praise for the effort, saying "He was huge. They with the (Jonathan) Toews lines and put some good pressure on us. . We were kind of laughing after the first period. We needed to get Smitty into the game early, and he got into the game early." If Phoenix is to have any chance to sneak back into the playoff picture Smith will have to be front and center.