Smith and Fleury now in Olympic conversation
If Canadian Olympic team goalie overseer Roberto Luongo was selecting his puck-stoppers off this season for the 2022 tournament in China, the ageless one in Vegas, Marc-andre Fleury, and Mike Smith, riding a crest at 39 here, would be on the short list, no matter how old it says they are.
While the Habs' Carey Price, 33, and Philly's Carter Hart, 22, seemed automatics for Beijing coming into the 56-game season, now it's unsettled in Canada's net.
Fleury, 36, has a 2.09 goalsagainst average, a .925 save percentage, a 19-10 record and five shutouts in 29 games for Vegas. Smith, who turned 39 a month ago, has a 2.36 average, a .922 save percentage, a 15-4-2 record in 23 games, and three shutouts.
“I've said it before but Smitty is one of the best athletes I've ever coached,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett, who had him in Dallas and Arizona and now here. “Keeps himself in phenomenal shape and he's a really driven guy this year.
“He wants to prove he still belongs in this league and wants to excel. At some point, players of Mike's age get a little tired of putting the work in, but not him.”
Smith, who has started 22 of the last 30 Oilers games, has been on his own here since training camp started in January. His four boys (Aksel, Ajax, Nixon and Kingsley) and wife Brigitte Acton, a former Canadian World Cup skier, stayed behind in Arizona with school starting in the fall.
His kids are old enough to know what dad does and they were hanging around the dressing room a good deal last season when everybody was living here. But Smith is staring at four walls now, in Edmonton, and on the road in hotel rooms.
“I miss them every single day. I've only seen them twice since the season started. It's been difficult,” said Smith, who didn't want to uproot his family several months later.
“You leave the rink and go home and you're used to seeing four kids who give you a hug no matter if you won or lost the game or how good or bad you played.
“I'm fortunate to be in a position to play a game I love, but it was a situation where my boys were better off staying where they were, being in school, with their sports. It made their life a lot easier than bringing them here. My wife's done an unbelievable job keeping the house in order. … I don't know what I'd do without her and the support of the family. I miss them every day, but this is just one season.”
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
It's been a hurry-up-and-wait season for winger Joakim Nygard, playing seven games and about 61 total minutes this season. But coming off the taxi squad, he had his best game Saturday against the Jets, drawing a penalty on Neal Pionk that Tyson Barrie converted on a power play.
“He was very solid. His forechecking was good and we wanted his speed … that's a part of our game we have to improve. He hasn't had much opportunity because of all our forwards, but I liked the whole line against Winnipeg with (Devin) Shore and (Zack) Kassian. That's the best game Kass has played in a while,” Tippett said.
LOOKING FOR OFFENCE
The Habs would love to audition recently signed Cole Caufield for the Oilers games with an offence gone cold since fellow right-winger Brendan Gallagher broke his thumb, but are hamstrung with roster issues. So, the Hobey Baker winner (30 goals in 31 college games) remains on the taxi squad.
Last time Caufield was here was Jan. 5 when he was celebrating a U.S. gold medal at the world juniors at Rogers Place.