Smith allowed six goals on 36 shots in a blowout 6-1 loss to the Blues last Saturday. He sat on Tuesday but the Coyotes will return to their number-1 netminder tonight in Minnesota. He has posted a 5.34 GAA and .822 SV% in his first three starts, but Arizona is confident Smith will be able to find his game. They still want him to start 55-60 games this season.

When I was trying to decide on which team's goaltending I should write about to help you in your fantasy pools, I looked at all the bottom dwelling teams and found it very difficult to choose one so I put on some Victim Of Changes by Judas Priest and got inspired. Lots of teams made changes to their creases for this year, some even starting at last year's trading deadline.  For those looking for goaltending help, which net minder is going to give you the best bang for your buck? Colorado has started off 1-4-1 with 5 of the games played away from home so you know they will get some good home cooking soon. Plus the Avalanche were expected to do well again this year after last season's surprise run and playoff appearance, so Semyon Varlamov is already counted on and drafted pretty high. We all know that buffalo, Florida, Carolina and unexpectedly Edmonton may be playing for the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, if their early play is any indication.  Winnipeg is supposedly better than they have shown so far so they should begin to string together some wins.  But there is one team that is struggling which is not customary considering its head coach.  Even with the name change, the Coyotes should be playing better in front of their goaltenders, especially with Mike Smith in net. The Arizona Coyotes' season began with a four game home stand and a chance to get off to good start in the tough Western Conference. The Yotes had 2 games against top teams in LA and St. Louis and 2 against Winnipeg and Edmonton and came away with 4 points.  After losing their home opener against the Jets 6-2, they rebounded to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Kings in overtime, 3-2.  5 or 6 points would have been a successful start because every point is crucial playing in this conference.  If Arizona is dreaming of having a shot at a playoff spot, they will have to tighten things up and get better goaltending from their duo. This is Head Coach Dave Tippett's 6th season with the Coyotes and he has missed the playoffs the past two seasons so the leash may be short for a coach who has been known for his defensive style of play, which is good for goalies. Smith's first year in Phoenix, he posted his best numbers going 38-18-10 with a .930 SP and a 2.21 GAA, but unfortunately he hasn't been able to reach those numbers since.  With those types of numbers, you know what he is capable of, he just needs to find his consistency.  Last year's punching bag in net, Devan Dubnyk, signed on to...

Cold, windy autumn day here in New York but I've got my hot cup of Joe right in front of me. There were a lot of significant happenings for fantasy owners last night. Some important fantasy players broke the ice or showed signs of life finally.  Boston's defense seems to be awakening as Zdeno Chara got his 2nd goal, Jason Krug got his 1st and Dougie Hamilton scored his 1st and added an assist. Chara had 7 SOG; out to prove critics wrong about his decline. 2 players that should be added; one for this season and the other for this season and beyond. LW Nick Foligno has 7 points in 5 games for Columbus while Alex Galchenyuk has 6 points in 6 games but is ready to breakout in this his 3rd NHL season. Washington has embraced Barry Trotz' system and is 3-0-2. It's going to be a real dogfight in the Metropolitan division this year. Patric Hornqvist is going to have one huge year in Pittsburgh it seems. 12 SOG last night.  It was good to see Logan Couture have a big game with a goal and 2 assists.   He could be San Jose's leading point-getter this season. Huge overtime win for Philadelphia in Dallas last night.  Huge. Jonas Gustavsson played big last night, blanking his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0 in overtime. Dion Phaneuf had 6 SOG on goal but his best days as far as big fantasy point-getter are behind him. The Ottawa Senators are surprising me with their play. Are they surprising you? Ottawa G Robin Lehner looks like the promising young goaltender everyone has been waiting for. 2-0-0 with a 1.92 GAA and a .950 SP.  Don't slip Mr. Anderson. Erik Karlsson had 7 SOG last night. Big night for defensemen taking lots of shots.  Matt Duchene, not a defenseman, had 10 SOG for Colorado last night. I really like Galchenyuk this year. I really do. Do the Devils think that with adding this offense they can give up playing defense? If they combine who they used to be with their new offense, they could be dangerous. Mike Cammalleri loves playing in New Jersey it seems with 5 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. This Damon Severson kid looks like he's the real deal on defense for the Devils, doesn't he? A lot of people have the Islanders making the playoffs this year. I think they just miss out.  Sorry, I just don't see it. Claude Giroux is waking up earlier than he did last year. Watch out! This Tyler Seguin has his sights on the Art Ross Trophy this year, but Sid the Kid will have something to say about that. Take a look at Dallas D-man Trevor Daley as he has 3 ...

Smith allowed four goals on 27 shots in a 6-4 win over the Oilers on Wednesday. It was his first win of the season, but it was not a great outing for him. He has allowed 10 goals in his first two contests while posting an ugly .815 SV%. He should be avoided tonight with the Blues in town.

Smith gave up six goals on 27 shots to the Jets in the season opener. He took a seat while Devan Dubnyk won against the Kings on Saturday, but the Coyotes will turn to Smith tonight vs. the Oilers. The Oilers have yet to get into the win column and are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, so Smith should be able to bounce-back tonight.

Smith allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Jets on opening night. It was not a great start for Smith and it will not be easy for him to get back on track tonight against a Sharks team coming off of a huge opening night win over the Kings.

Smith had a rough year in 2013-14, but should be in line for a bounce-back season. He is a good goalie on a defence-first team, which makes him a reliable fantasy option. The 2.64 GAA he posted last season, was the worst GAA he has posted in his three years in Arizona, so expect that number to creep closer to 2.40 in 2014-15. He starts the season with a nice matchup vs. Winnipeg.

The Coyotes have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, so Smith will probably be done for the rest of the season. There is no sense rushing him back for a meaningless game. Look for Thomas Greiss to close out the season for the Coyotes.

Smith will miss his eighth straight game on Thursday, and he is desperately hoping that Thomas Greiss can pull out the W to keep the Coyotes alive. Phoenix has a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, monitor Smith's status heading into the weekend.

Thomas Greiss will get another start for Phoenix as Smith remains sidelined with a knee injury. There was no real update other than he is still day-to-day. Monitor his status before Thursday's game vs. Nashville.