Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith fought hard but the Los Angeles Kings closed the series out 4-1 thanks to a 4-3 OT win. Smith made some big saves, although some might quibble that his aggressive puckhandling was to blame for an icing that opened up a chance for the Kings' first goal. Either way, he fell just short of keeping the Coyotes alive after making 47 out of 51 saves.

In their 2-0 Game 4 win, the Phoenix Coyotes became the first team to shut out the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs. Mike Smith notched his third postseason shutout, and the Yotes also were just the second team to score back-to-back goals against the Kings.. Still down 3-1 in the Western Conference final series, Phoenix will need to continue to show urgency Tuesday night to remain alive. "We have to get on a run, and that's what we're talking about," Shane Doan said. "We're capable of doing it. We did it throughout the year often. Hopefully, Smitty can get on a run, a couple of us can get on a run, give him some support, and things can work out."

The Los Angeles Kings got a little taste of what the Phoenix Coyotes' other opponents have experienced in the playoffs as Mike Smith shut them out in a 2-0 win to bring the series to 3-1. Smith stopped all 36 Kings shots while the Coyotes only fired 19 shots on goal. It seems fair that Smith generated at least one win in this series because he's been one of the bright spots - for the most part - it what has mostly been a pretty one-sided series.

Mike Smith kicked away 26 shots, but the Phoenix Coyotes dropped Game 3 of the Western Conference final 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. It was Smith's best effort of the series, but it didn't mean too much as the Coyotes couldn't generate enough offense to support him. With the game tied at one entering the third period, the Coyotes didn't show nearly enough desperation, mustering up four shots on goal, compared to 13 for the Kings. Down 3-0, Phoenix looks like it needs a miracle to make this a series again, let alone even win it.

Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith had an agitating night on just about every level as the Los Angeles Kings won 4-0 to take a 2-0 series lead. Smith showed his frustration the most when he whacked Dustin Brown on the back of the leg to receive a two-minute minor penalty. It's unlikely that Smith will receive a suspension or fine for the infraction, but it was a moment that probably captures how he felt after plenty of crease crashing and allowing four goals on 40 shots.

In order to beat Mike Smith, the Kings know they need to "get him off his game" by making him uncomfortable in net. Just over four minutes into Game 1, Justin Williams bowled into the Phoenix netminder and Smith wasn't too happy about it. "I felt like he made more of an effort not to get out of the way than he did to get in the way," said Smith, who gave up four in the loss. "It's playoff hockey. I should expect that. They are going do everything they can to get in my way and make it hard on me to see pucks." Contact was made with Williams by a Coyote so there was no penalty called on him, however Smith got a two-minute roughing call for going after Williams. "That's certainly something we need to keep doing, if we can get him off his game," Williams said.

Mike Smith was beaten three times on 47 shots Sunday as the Coyotes fell to Los Angeles by a score of 4-2 in Game One of the Western Conference Finals. It was a typical Phoenix performance with Smith facing a high volume of shots, but unlike much of the postseason to-date, the Coyotes didn't ride their netminder to victory. With the Kings displaying an equal amount of defensive success, Phoenix will have to generate more offense in this round if it expects to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith doesn't have a problem with his team rarely getting the spotlight despite their success. "Perfect," Smith said. "I love it. It's great. We've kind of flown under the radar all season long and kind of snuck in the division championship. Now we're in the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I don't think anyone thought we'd be here." The Coyotes were certainly considered a long shot to make it this far and, for that matter, so were the Los Angeles Kings. No matter what, we'll have something of a surprise representative for the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Phoenix coach Dave Tippett was a major factor in Mike Smith becoming a Phoenix Coyote. Tippett had Smith as a netminder when he was coaching in Dallas and Smith was a backup to Marty Turco for a year and a half before being dealt to Tampa Bay in the Brad Richards trade as he was the major part of the deal for the Lightning. "We started out the season pretty well. I think we answered some questions, the major one being who would be Bryzgalov's replacement. Smith came in and solidified that early for us," Tippett said. Smith was sensational during the regular season and has been even better in the playoffs. He will have to continue his outstanding play if the Coyotes hope to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.

Mike Smith was a huge reason why the Coyotes are advancing to the Western Conference finals. The keeper made 32 saves in the 2-1 Game 5 win that eliminated the Predators, and he set aside 150 of 159 shots in the five-game series. "Their goalie was the difference in this series. As a team they played really well defensively, but he was the last line of defense," Pekka Rinne said. "We got a lot of shots but it was like other games in this series. We couldn't get anything past him. He stayed strong till the end and their players gave him a lot of help."