Smith's streak helps Coyotes remain in Pacific race

ST. LOUIS -- The Phoenix Coyotes, who are in the same situation as their counterparts Friday in the St. Louis Blues with much at stake, clinched a postseason berth Thursday night without the benefit of being on the ice.

Phoenix (40-27-13) got in when Dallas lost at Nashville, but there's still unfinished business for the Coyotes, who at 93 points trail both Los Angeles and San Jose by one point in the race for the Pacific Division title with a game in hand.

"We certainly have a lot to play for," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "We've got a game in hand on LA and San Jose. The division title is still within our grasp, which means home ice in the playoffs. It's certainly something to play for.

"We recognized at training camp that this is going to come down to a point or two. That's what it did, so the consistency and how our group continually prepares and makes sure that every point available, we try to get. You go through a year and there's some points that get away from you, but ultimately the consistency of which our group plays is probably one of our best assets. That being said, there's always times you want more, too. ... Everybody's striving for one of those eight spots. Now we're in the top eight and we want to get into the top three."

Added captain Shane Doan: "We feel like we've got a little bit left to do. We control our own destiny where we finish and we want to make sure we find a way to take care of that."

It's been the year of the goalie this season in the NHL, and Phoenix's Mike Smith is right at the top in success stories.

Smith, signed to a free agent contract last summer from Tampa Bay, carries a personal best shutout streak of 219:59 into this matchup Friday with the Blues including three shutouts. He's also stopped 155 consecutive shots, which is an NHL high since saves were first kept in 1976-77, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

Smith, who is 36-18-10 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season, was reunited with Tippett, who coached Smith in Dallas and has thrived in the desert.

"I had great hopes for him," Tippett said of Smith. "He's a player I had before in Dallas as a young player. He's a great athlete with a great attitude and I think we were just looking for an opportunity. He's taken the opportunity here and ran with it. You've seen what he's done the last three games for us. It's been phenomenal."

When the Coyotes lost Ilya Bryzgalov to free agency, many pundits panned making Smith, the 161st pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, the No. 1 guy, but he has seized the opportunity with Phoenix.

"You talk with the guys in Tampa in [Marty] St. Louis and [Steven] Stamkos, I'm friends with a couple of those guys [including Eric] Brewer, they were saying how great he is and how unbelievable of a team guy he is, a team player, a competitor, a legit No. 1," Doan said of Smith. "Obviously it's been a lot of fun to see him do what he's done."

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