Arizona Coyotes' Mike Smith seeking improvement before season ends

The benchmark isn't close to where the best in the league reside, but it's still a milepost worth acknowledging — especially since it's eluded Coyotes goalie Mike Smith for the entire season.

Not until Smith stopped 34 of 35 shots Monday in a 1-0 loss to the Kings did he push his save percentage to the .900 clip for the first time, a reflection of how difficult it's been to undo the damage inflicted by a poor start.

It's also a sign that Smith is flat-out playing better, which is progress he's detected without the help of statistics.

"I didn't even know," Smith said. "I haven't even looked at my stats. I couldn't tell you anything about my stats. I think with how rough this season has gone, I think that's the last thing to think about.

"My goals right now have nothing to do with my stats. They have more to do with how I'm feeling coming out of games and what I can improve on, and it's been working as far as the consistency. It's back to where I feel like I can be, and that's all I really have control over."

When the rankings reveal a spot among the worst in the NHL and the team is at about the same efficiency, perhaps that's the best attitude to take. But clawing out of that hole should be a point of pride for Smith.

He came close in November, boasting a .897 save percentage after giving up only one goal in a 32-save performance against the Islanders, but his efforts were derailed when he went on to drop 10 of his next 11 appearances.

Once the uncertainty surrounding the team was dismissed at the trade deadline, Smith seemed to find a groove. He's turned aside 197 of 210 shots (.938 save percentage) since then and going back to Feb. 1, he's been at .920.

That productivity is much closer to league leaders with some of the game's elite huddled between .924 and .929. Montreal's Carey Price leads the way at .935, while the NHL average is .914.

"I felt like I've been big in the net and kind of been more patient and when I've had times to challenge and to get out and be more aggressive, I've done that," Smith said. "But I think I've managed the game pretty well the last little while."

These numbers would carry more credibility if they were produced against the backdrop of meaningful games. It can be tough to get an authentic gauge on a player's performance when the team has bowed out of the playoff picture, but Smith explained that those circumstances can offer their own brand of urgency.

"I think it's harder to have not much to play for," Smith said. "… We're getting paid a lot of money to perform at our highest, but it's so much easier to get up for games when you're making the playoff push, you're in the playoffs and the intensity of games — they mean so much more. So that makes it harder to make sure you have to prepare properly and you're not taking anything for granted."

Only two years into a six-year contract, Smith is one of the few faces on the Coyotes who isn't vying for a role on the team next season. But like many of the young players auditioning for the coaching staff and management, Smith still has unfinished business before the season ends.

"Leading into the summer, I want to feel like my game is where it needs to be coming into next season and I can have a good summer of training," he said. "I'll be on the ice a lot more this year, more than other years, and I'll be prepared next season to have a lot better start than I have the last couple of years."

Thursday's game

Avalanche at Coyotes

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Gila River Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620).

Avalanche update: The Avalanche have won two straight and five out of their past six. Colorado hasn't played since Saturday when it edged the Flames 3-2. The Avalanche penalty kill has been steady of late, killing off 26 of their past 27 penalties. Goalie Semyon Varlamov is in the midst of a season-high five-game win streak. During that span, Varlamov has a 1.00 goals-against average and .968 save percentage. Winger Jarome Iginla leads the team in goals (22) and points (48).

GAME PHOTOS: COYOTES AT KINGS