Friday’s Three Stars: Doan, Smith lead Coyotes to 1-0 Game 4 win over Predators

Shane Doan reacts to almost being kicked in the face.

No. 1 Star: Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes

Smith wasn't busy, but he was perfect in a 1-0 Game 4 win, making 25 saves for his second shutout of the 2012 postseason. He was especially good in the 3rd period, when the Predators crashed the crease at every opportunity, but couldn't jam anything past the Coyotes netminder.

No. 2 Star: Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes

Doan scored the lone goal in the lone game on the night. At 14:25 of the first period, his backhand shot deflected off Roman Josi and past Pekka Rinne.

No. 3 Star: Boyd Gordon, Phoenix Coyotes

In a game where defence was king, a defensive player deserves a star, and Gordon's work stood out. He took 13 defensive zone draws in the game, winning 9 of them, including his final 3 versus David Legwand in the game's final minutes.

Honourable mention: Pekka Rinne stopped 23 of 24 shots.

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 2. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers; 3. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 4. Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes; 5. Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers; 6. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals; 7. Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils; 8. Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils; 9. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 10. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings.

Dishonourable mention: The Predators could have used one or two more offensive players, huh? ... Two more catfish hit in the ice in Nashville, making it 5 in 2 games. That might be a few too many ... Rotislav Klesla may see some kind of supplemental discipline for his push from behind on Matt Halischuk ... Big mistake here by Smith, but lucky for him, Patric Hornqvist makes an even bigger mistake by putting the puck high over the open net: