Smith still Coyotes’ No. 1 goalie; Domingue has good chance at backup role

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mike Smith said he has been dealing with a lower abdomen injury for the past “two-to-three years” but prior to this season, the Coyotes goaltender had learned to manage it and insisted it wasn’t affecting his decision to play.

That changed in mid-December when Smith couldn’t manage the injury any more, couldn’t play through the pain and opted for surgery.

“It got to the point where it was affecting how I was playing; it was affecting the outcome of games,” Smith said. “When you’re in that position as a player it’s disappointing. You feel like you’re letting the team down.

“It took a while for me to accept it and to realize I can’t continue to do what I’m doing without hurting the team and myself. Obviously, it was a hard decision to make but I think it was the right one.”

Smith returned last Saturday in Edmonton and posted a 44-save shutout after a 12-plus week rehabilitation that was originally slated for eight-to-10 weeks. The extra time missed was just as frustrating to him as it was to the team.

“It was about more than picking a date and hitting it,” he said. “I had to make sure I was doing the right things and felt good about myself so when I do get in a game I’m not vulnerable. I can be free and not worry about injuring it.”

Despite the added time off, coach Dave Tippett dismissed the notion that Smith was expected back earlier than last weekend.

“With the injury he had, it’s not like a broken bone where you can say, ‘OK, this is six weeks’ and the bone is healed in six weeks and away you go,” Tippett said. “Soft tissue stuff, it affects everybody in a different way, especially in that position with the movements he has to make.

“If a guy tells you he’s hurt you have to trust the fact that he’s doing what’s best for the team. You’re expected to do what you can to help the team and you’re expected to play up to your capabilities. If a player is not able to play to his capabilities it might be great to say ‘oh, he should have played’ but if he’s not going to play well that’s not fair to anybody on the team.”

Smith is expected to share duties with Louis Domingue for the rest of the season. He’ll be in goal Thursday against San Jose, but Tippett and goalie coach Jon Elkin will manage his playing time to work him back into a routine gradually and not risk re-aggravating the injury.

“It’s partly that and partly Louis deserves to play,” Tippett said. “Louis came in and did a very good job for us under some tough circumstances. He played a lot of games in a short period of time and proved himself to be a good NHL player.”

Smith said he will probably experience some level of pain for the rest of the season and into the summer, but he hopes to be back to 100 percent by the start of next season.

“You have to break up that scarring,” Smith said of the hardened tissue in his abdomen. “It’s painful to do but it’s something that has to be done. When you know it’s going to happen it’s hard for your body to let it happen, but I felt like I got to a point in practice where I couldn’t do anything more without playing.”

General manager Don Maloney deferred all questions about a goaltending competition to Tippett, and Tippett confirmed Wednesday that Smith is still his No.1 goalie and will remain so moving forward. Tippett said Domingue would have an excellent chance to secure the backup role for next season, which make the final 13 games of the season a critical final test for Domingue.

“I’m curious to see how Louis responds to not playing every night,” Maloney said. “It’s going to be an equitable balance of time for the rest of this season but can he come off bench after sitting and still give us an A-game?”

That is a key challenge for a backup goalie, but Domingue said he is looking forward to the new challenge, calling it yet another “learning experience” in this season chock full of them.

“I think it’s going to be beneficial for both of us,” he said. “Mike will have a chance to get some nights off if I can play here and there and the same for me. I can get some breaks because I know he’s going to play well when he plays.

“The rest of the year will determine how it will be next year but that’s this league. You always have to prove yourself.”

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Sharks at Coyotes

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale

TV: FOX Sports Arizona Plus

Radio: ESPN 620 AM

Season series: Sharks leads, 2-0.

Probable goalies: Sharks — TBD. Coyotes — Mike Smith.

Injury report: Sharks — D Matt Tennyson (concussion) is out. Coyotes — D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (upper body) is day to day and will not play. G Anders Lindback (Achilles) and RW Joe Vitale (concussion symptoms) are out for the season.

Scouting the Sharks: San Jose is currently battling with Anaheim for second place in the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Sharks are 7-3 in their last 10 games and got a big win over Boston on Tuesday. … C Joe Thornton leads the team and is tied for second on the NHL with 51 assists. F Joe Pavelski leads the club with 32 goals, which ranks seventh in the NHL.

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