Mike Smith led the Coyotes on the ice for pregame warmups and will receive the starting nod Tuesday against the Lightning, Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Smith led the Coyotes on the ice for pregame warmups and will receive the starting nod Tuesday against the Lightning, Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Analysis:

Smith will bring an ugly 3.80 GAA and .867 save percentage into Tuesday's tilt, numbers that have actually noticed improvement over the last two games. That only illustrates the extent to which Smith struggled in his first three contests, but much to the Coyotes' delight, he seems to be growing gradually more comfortable in the crease with each successive outing.