Mike Smith will return to Tampa Bay for the first time since leaving as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2011 season. Smith was sent to the minors during his last season with the Lightning but there is no ill will towards his former team. "Obviously, getting sent to the minors after playing a few years in the NHL was a tough pill to swallow," Smith said. "It's how you approach those situations that make or break you as an athlete. It would have been easy to go down to the minors and pout. ... I think I went down and just worked really hard and shut my mouth and got a second chance, and a lot's happened since then so it feels pretty good to be where I am right now." Smith is 22-18-4 this season with a 2.72 GAA and a .913 save percentage.