Canadian Olympic gold medalist Mike Smith of Kingston, Ontario notched his 44th career National Hockey League shutout on Saturday. Smith, who won a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in men’s hockey, made 39 saves as the Edmonton Oilers blanked the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Smith made 13 saves in the first period, 12 saves in the second period, and 14 saves in the third period. Max Pacioretty, the former captain of the Montreal Canadiens, led the Golden Knights with six shots on goal.
This was Smith’s second shutout of the season, and second shutout of the week. He also blanked the Nashville Predators 4-0 on Thursday. On the season, he has a record of 13 wins, nine regulation losses, and two losses in extra time, with a goals against average of 2.91, and a save percentage of .911.
Four Canadians scored for the Oilers. They were Warren Foegele of Unionville, Ontario, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Burnaby, British Columbia, and defensemen Kris Russell of Caroline, Alberta, and Cody Ceci of Ottawa, Ontario.
With the win, the Oilers improved to 44 wins, 26 regulation losses, and six losses in extra time for 94 points. The Edmonton win also clinched a playoff spot for the Oilers’ Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames.
