Goaltender Mike Smith will make his first start of the season Monday night when the Edmonton Oilers visit the Ottawa Senators.
Smith, 38, was placed on long-term injured reserve on Jan. 15.
“I feel great. I’m excited. You never want to start a season with an injury.
“It was kind of a freak thing and unfortunate,” said Smith.
“My injury was kind of a weird one. It only affected me in certain movements. I was able to do a lot of things I was able to in the summer and preparing for the season. It didn’t set me back too much.”
With Smith out, Mikko Koskinen started 12 of 13 games.
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“Kosky played well for us. We put a guy in a tough situation, playing that many minutes early in a season without any training camp,” said head coach Dave Tippett.
“I think both of our goaltenders played better last year when they were going two-and-two at the start of the year.
“They both were fresh. They both played well. I’d like to get back to a little rhythm of both of them.”
Defenceman Ethan Bear will miss his fourth game since getting hit by a puck on the bench during a game against Toronto. Tippett didn’t reveal any other details about the lineup.
The Oilers, 6-7, beat the Senators in two games at Rogers Place last week.
Catch game on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 3:30 p.m. The game starts at 5 p.m.
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