With only a handful of seconds remaining on the clock during yesterday’s meeting between the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith only had one thing on his mind. And when Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson sent a wristshot toward the net, Smith seized the opportunity.
After stopping Samuelsson’s shot, Smith let loose a wrist shot of his own, sending the puck 190 feet clear down the middle of the rink and into the Wings’ open net, beating the buzzer with :01 seconds remaining on the clock.
With the goal, Smith becomes just the 11th goalie in NHL history to score an empty netter. However, this isn’t Smith’s first goal as a netminder. Oct. 26, 2002, he scored a goal for Lexington against the Dayton Bombers in an East Coast Hockey League game.
“I knew there was not a lot of time left,” said Smith in his TV interview on the bench. “I didn’t think it had the legs to get there. But it just adds to the win.”
Smith’s tally gave the Coyotes a 5-2 lead over the Wings, which would stand as the final for the game. Check out video of Smith’s goal below.
