There’s been no wrong answer for Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett so far this season when it comes to picking a starting goaltender.
Mikko Koskinen, who is 5-1 on the season, will start Monday night when the Oilers host the Arizona Coyotes.
Mike Smith is coming off a 51-save performance in a 2-1 overtime win over Pittsburgh on Saturday.
“They’ve been awesome. You look at last game, Smitty probably steals us one,” forward Sam Gagner said.
“When you’re getting goaltending like we’re getting from both of them, it gives you a ton of confidence and allows us to settle into our game.”
Koskinen is 16th in the NHL with a .922 save percentage. Smith is eighth at .931 and was named the NHL’s third star of the week.
“The team wins are more important than any personal accolades,” Smith said. “The goalie has very little control over what else happens in the game other than what he can control. That’s my main focus this year. The stats will look after themselves if you just worry what you can control.”
The Oilers expected lineup against Arizona is:
Draisaitl – McDavid – Chiasson
Neal – Nugent-Hopkins – Kassian
Khaira – Granlund – Gagner
Haas – Cave- P. Russell
Nurse – Bear
Klefbom – Persson
K. Russell – Benning
Koskinen
Catch the Oilers and Coyotes on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.