Goaltender Mike Smith posted a shutout in his National Hockey League debut on Saturday night, making 22 saves to lead the Dallas Stars to a 4-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz.
Smith became the first NHL goalie since Yann Danis for Montreal last year to record a shutout in his first NHL start.
"I felt pretty good out there and got the nerves out early," Smith told dallasstars.com. "I thought I was going to be a lot more nervous. The boys all said I’ve set the bar high, which was good to hear. I wanted to earn the confidence of the coaches and my teammates. I can’t say enough about how well the team played in front of me."
Smith, 24, played 127 AHL games over the last four seasons with Iowa, Houston and Utah, compiling a record of 57-52-9 with 10 shutouts.
