Maybe this is confirmation bias on my part because I admittedly hated the Smith acquisition from day one, but he just seems to let in goals at the worst time, particularly early in a game. It doesn't matter if he is great the rest of the game since playing from behind for 55:00+ minutes is a completely different game and more taxing on the players. It also forces them to open up more exposing the defense.
I am not sure if there is a fancy stat for it somewhere, but I would bet that Smith lets in the first goal and early goals, more often per game played than any goalie in the NHL this season, and maybe even the past few seasons.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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