The San Jose Sharks will take another crack at solving the mystery of the Arizona Coyotes and their ace between the pipes - Mike Smith.

Inexplicably the Pacific Division powerhouse Sharks have been stymied by Smith and the bottom-feeders in Arizona. The 'Yotes have won three of the four meetings and Smith played a big role in that success.

I'm not sure if the Sharks bring out the best in Smith or Smith brings out the worst in the Sharks. I tend to believe that the 6' 3" 216 lb. Smith is the Kryptonite to San Jose's Superman.

Smith is dominant in net when the team on the other side is from Northern California. He's a respectable 12-8-3 with a .944 save percentage in his career against San Jose. He's been even tougher to foil this season. Smith stonewalled the Shsrks back on Nov. 29, making 40 saves in a 2-1 Sharks overtime win. He was just as good earlier this month when he turned away 38 of 40 shots during a 3-2 shootout win.

Today may be the day it all turns around for SJ. The Sharks offense is starting the heat up with 17 goals in the five games since these clubs last met. Inject the new blood of Nikolay Goldobin into the offensive mix and we could have a recipe for success.

Now would be an excellent time to get to Smith and AZ. San Jose has two games before the mandatory five-day break and winning out would be a nice send off for the players and fans. With just one win (1-2-4) in the month of February - a win tonight and tomorrow can change the narrative from the last couple of weeks and shed a whole new light on the stretch run.

They have to beat Smith first and that is easier said than done if you're wearing a teal tinged sweater.

thanks for reading,
Steve

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