Smith turned in a much-improved outing Thursday against the Wild, turning away 27 of 29 shots, but the Coyotes were shut out for his third loss in four tries. After Smith allowed 16 goals in his first three starts of the year, this outing is a positive even if there's no win to go with it. He should have plenty of leash, too, with Devan Dubnyk the only other option for the Coyotes.