The Edmonton Oilers have their starter back, as Mike Smith has been activated from injured reserve. The veteran goaltender will retake his place in the Oilers crease, while Stuart Skinner returns to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The Oilers have also moved Philip Broberg and young goaltender Ilya Konovalov to the taxi squad.
Smith, 39, has played in just three games this season after suffering an early injury and then experiencing a setback in his recovery. He did stop 92-of-100 shots during that short period at the beginning of the year, continuing his strong play from last season, but it will be a whole new set of expectations after missing so much time. The team received some admirable performances from Mikko Koskinen and Skinner -- the latter had a .916 save percentage in 10 appearances -- but it’s Smith that will likely take the team to the next level, should they be able to get there.
The Oilers have gone 4-6 in their last 10 and slipped to fourth place in the Pacific Division but still have plenty of time to catch the teams ahead of them. They’ll take the ice Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues before traveling to the east coast to play the Devils, Islanders, Rangers and Maple Leafs in quick succession. Smith will obviously be handling the lion’s share of the work, though it remains to be seen where his game is after more than two months off.
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