Smith was given the night off on Saturday so he will be back in the cage Sunday. He allowed two goals on 30 shots in a 4-2 win over the Red Wings on Thursday. It was good to see him get back on track after being yanked in his previous start. He has a decent option vs. Hurricanes.

Smith allowed five goals on 20 shots before being pulled for Thomas Greiss on Tuesday. He had dominated the Islanders prior to that start so it was a little surprising. He will have a tough time bouncing back tonight against the Red Wings.

Smith was under siege on Saturday night. He faced 50 shots and stopped 47 of them in a 4-1 loss to the Sharks. He has had a solid start to the season (2.02 GAA / .946 SV%) and will look to keep it rolling on Long Island tonight. He is 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .970 SV% in his career vs. NYI.

Smith is 1-0 on the season after stopping 23 of 24 shots in a 4-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday. He will have a tough challenge tonight against the San Jose Sharks. Smith was great against the Sharks last season though. He was 2-0-0 with a 0.48 GAA, .985 SV% and one shutout, so maybe the matchup is not as bad as it looks.

Smith missed games because of upper and lower-body injuries last season. He ended the season with a 15-12-5 record, a 2.58 GAA and .910 SV%. Those numbers were a significant drop off from his first season in Phoenix (2.21 / .930). In 2013-14, as long as he can stay healthy he will be the Coyotes workhorse once again. They are expected to be a much improved team from last season, giving Smith some sneaky value. He is a solid number-2 with upside.

UPDATES: Cody Franson has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs ending his preseason holdout. Let's hope that he didn't lose out on all that he gained last year in terms of a contributing spot on the backend as Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly continue to impress....Reports are that the NY Rangers and Derek Stepan are agreeing to terms on a two-year contract....Also I've heard that Tim Thomas has won the starting job down in Florida. The Panthers need a veteran in net if they want to make any noise in the tough Atlantic Division....Updated Fantasy Guide coming later tonight! PRESEASON FANTASY BITS: The future of the Buffalo Sabres was on display last night as Jhonas Enroth blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets. At some point it will no longer be Miller time as this will be Enroth's team someday....Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons both scored giving the team a double-edged duo for the future....There won't be an early season feeling out period this year in Washington as the Caps seem to be hitting on all cylinders in Head Coach Adam Oates' system now as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, and Mikhail Grabovski all had multiple point games last night.... Speaking of Grabovski, he could have a season similar to what Mike Ribeiro had last year in his cameo performance for the Capitals....Jussi Jokinen continues his torrid preseason with yet another power play goal last night. He is Fantasy Gold in the later rounds as he is lining up with Evgeni Malkin. Can anyone say Jarome who?....Someone who may have a resurrection this season is none other than Dany Heatley of the Minnesota Wild....A lot of people may overlook Phoenix G Mike Smith but don't you. And don't you forget that Dave Tippett coached teams always benefit the goaltender.  Just look at Ilya Bryzgalov and what has become of him since he bolted the desert. The 2013-2014 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide has been updated as of September 26th, 9:45 pm.  The Guide is revised with all the latest developments so that you can be prepared for your fantasy hockey draft.  As we near the start of the season, the Guide is updated more frequently so that you can be assured you have the most current and relevant information at your hands.  Just access the updated Guide through the FILES link in "My Account". Get it now and WOW your fantasy opponents! Check out the new ROMIE HITS THE POST which focuses on the New Jersey Devils goaltending situation. Check it out here! PrimePucks™ ...

UPDATES: Cody Franson has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs ending his preseason holdout. Let's hope that he didn't lose out on all that he gained last year in terms of a contributing spot on the backend as Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly continue to impress....Reports are that the NY Rangers and Derek Stepan are agreeing to terms on a two-year contract....Also I've heard that Tim Thomas has won the starting job down in Florida. The Panthers need a veteran in net if they want to make any noise in the tough Atlantic Division....Updated Fantasy Guide coming later tonight! PRESEASON FANTASY BITS: The future of the Buffalo Sabres was on display last night as Jhonas Enroth blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets. At some point it will no longer be Miller time as this will be Enroth's team someday....Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons both scored giving the team a double-edged duo for the future....There won't be an early season feeling out period this year in Washington as the Caps seem to be hitting on all cylinders now as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, and Mikhail Grabovski all had multiple point games.... Speaking of Grabovski, he could have a season similar to what Mike Ribeiro had last year in his cameo performance for the Capitals....Jussi Jokinen continues his torrid preseason with yet another power play goal last night. He is Fantasy Gold in the later rounds as he is lining up with Evgeni Malkin. Can anyone say Jarome who?....Someone who may have a resurrection this season is none other than Dany Heatley of the Minnesota Wild....A lot of people may overlook Phoenix G Mike Smith but don't you. And don't you forget that Dave Tippett coached teams always benefit the goaltender.  Just look at Ilya Bryzgalov and what has become of him since he bolted the desert. The 2013-2014 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide has been updated as of September 25th.  The Guide is revised with all the latest developments so that you can be prepared for your fantasy hockey draft.  As we near the start of the season, the Guide is updated more frequently so that you can be assured you have the most current and relevant information at your hands.  Just access the updated Guide through the FILES link in "My Account". Get it now and WOW your fantasy opponents! Check out the new ROMIE HITS THE POST which focuses on the New Jersey Devils goaltending situation. Check it out here! PrimePucks™ continues to bring you the NHL IN 30 every day in the ...

PRESEASON FANTASY BITS: The future of the Buffalo Sabres was on display last night as Jhonas Enroth blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets. At some point it will no longer be Miller time as this will be Enroth's team someday....Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons both scored giving the team a double-edged duo for the future....There won't be an early season feeling out period this year in Washington as the Caps seem to be hitting on all cylinders now as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, and Mikhail Grabovski all had multiple point games.... Speaking of Grabovski, he could have a season similar to what Mike Ribeiro had last year in his cameo performance for the Capitals....Jussi Jokinen continues his torrid preseason with yet another power play goal last night. He is Fantasy Gold in the later rounds as he is lining up with Evgeni Malkin. Can anyone say Jarome who?....Someone who may have a resurrection this season is none other than Dany Heatley of the Minnesota Wild....A lot of people may overlook Phoenix G Mike Smith but don't you. And don't you forget that Dave Tippett coached teams always benefit the goaltender.  Just look at Ilya Bryzgalov and what has become of him since he bolted the desert. The 2013-2014 PrimePucks Fantasy Hockey Draft Guide has been updated as of September 25th.  The Guide is revised with all the latest developments so that you can be prepared for your fantasy hockey draft.  As we near the start of the season, the Guide is updated more frequently so that you can be assured you have the most current and relevant information at your hands.  Just access the updated Guide through the FILES link in "My Account".  Get it now and WOW your fantasy opponents! PrimePucks™ continues to bring you the NHL IN 30 every day in the month of September, bringing you in-depth team analysis for the upcoming season. Today's featured team: The San Jose Sharks!  Don't forget to check back each and every day for the latest featured team!

Usually you can bank on any Dave Tippett coached team to make the playoffs as any team he has coached has only missed the playoffs once in his tenured NHL career. But last year marked just the second time in his 10-year coaching career, and first as Head Coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, that a Tippett-led team missed the playoffs, but we can put an asterisk on that dubious achievement as it occurred in a Lockout shortened season.  The Coyotes only made one change from last season by bringing in free-agent Mike Ribeiro and trading Steve Sullivan to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline.  Will the somewhat status quo bring the team back to the playoffs? Goalies Mike Smith had a rough start as he let in 10 goals in his first 2 games but quickly righted the ship s he went 7-4-2 in his next 13 games with a 2.47 GAA And .915 SP. A mediocre March pushed the Coyotes back in the tight playoff race, one from which they did not recover.  Any team coached by Tippett means that the goaltending is sure to be solid so you should expect a return to his 2011-2012 form when he posted a 38-18-10 record with a 2.21 GAA and .938 SP.  Former San Jose Shark Thomas Greiss was brought in to replace the departed Jason LaBarbera.  Greiss brings good numbers with him and should spell Smith on a regular basis as the team will have complete confidence in their backup net minder. Defense When your leading scorer on the team is a defenseman, you know that there is a deficiency of scoring from your forwards. Granted Keith Yandle is very talented, but he is no Bobby Orr.  Yandle finished ahead of RW Radim Vrbata by only 2 points, but Vrbata missed 14 games due to injury. Expect Yandle to compete for the team scoring lead again.  We expected Oliver Ekman-Larsson (OEL) to breakout last season, but young d-men sometimes take a little longer to develop. He definitely has the talent, but may not get the opportunities as long as Yandle is around.  Derek Morris, Rostislav Klesla and Zbynek Michalek round out the defensive corps while Adrian Aucoin skipped town.  The depth on the blue line fit into Tippett's style and is a huge benefit for the goaltenders. Forwards As mentioned above, the forwards aren't the most prolific in scoring, which is essential for a competing fantasy hockey team. Vrbata should lead the team in scoring among forwards, especially now that Ribeiro has joined the club.  Don't expect Ribeiro to light up the score sheet like he did with the Capitals, these two teams play ...

This is the best case scenario for Smith who broke out once joining the Coyotes. Continue to draft him as a top 10 fantasy goalie option.