Mike Smith had his first shutout of the season for the Coyotes in a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. But that doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Smith could have spent the first 28:12 in a lounge chair because the Canucks didn’t register a shot on goal. For an entire period and eight minutes and twelve seconds of the next one, the Canucks didn’t challenge Smith even once.
Since NHL started tracking play-by-play in 2003 no team has gone as long as the #Canucks did tonight for their 1st shot on goal (28:12)
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/HarrisonMooney/status/824838799192682496
Lest you think that the Canucks just sat on deck chairs sipping lemonade for the first part of the game, they did have 13 missed shots and 10 shots blocked … and they even had a shot registered in the first, but in the name of cruelty it was taken away.
The #Canucks lone 1st period shot has been taken away. 0 shots now.
Safe to say the shot counter is already on all-star break. pic.twitter.com/jlXju7N8O0
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 27, 2017
The first shot, which was greatly anticipated, was a doozy that Smith had to make the save of the year on:
Wakey wakey Mike Smith. pic.twitter.com/lyodhG9nM8
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 27, 2017
Okay, maybe not. But at least Alex Burrows was smart enough to at least inquire as to whether Smith was actually awake or not.