Playing for the Pacific Division, Smith stopped two of three shots he faced in a 10-3 win over the Central Division in the first of two semifinals. Later, after a two-hour break, Smith stopped nine of 11 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Metropolitan Division in the championship game.
Smith suspected that he and the other goalies would give up many goals against the All-Stars in the 3-on-3 format. He even predicted he might need a hug afterward.
"I don't need a hug," Smith said after the games, with a smile. "It was nice that I didn't get torched. Our guys did a great job in front of me. It was a lot of fun ... It was a long wait between games, so that was kind of weird and different going back in there ... In that first game, I didn't have much work aside from a couple shots. I didn't mind it though."
Smith, making his first NHL All-Star appearance, entered the championship game after its intermission with the Pacific leading 3-2. Despite allowing two goals within a five-second span in the middle of the second 10-minute half, Smith was pleased with his performance.
"It was a pleasure to be here and to play with some of the best players in the world," Smith said. "Like I said, I'm just glad I didn't get a sunburn on the back of my neck."
The Pacific thought it had taken a 4-2 lead at 3:24 of the second half on a shot by Ryan Kesler, but his goal was disallowed after the Metropolitan challenged and video review determined that Connor McDavid was off-side before the goal was scored.
After the game, Smith joked about the call.
"The NHL is trying to get scoring up and they're reviewing calls in the All-Star Game," he said. "It cost us the game."
