Coyotes goalie Devan Dubnyk seeing more starts

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Earlier this month, Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett seemed ready to run with whichever goalie was picking up points.

Backup Devan Dubnyk has done that, accounting for seven of the team's nine points in December, but it doesn't sound like the Coyotes are going to let Dubnyk handle the starting duties exclusively.

"We're still unsettled there," Tippett said. "We need both of them to play well if we're going to have success."

Dubnyk earned the nod against the Anaheim Ducks over Mike Smith because Dubnyk won the team's previous game — a 5-1 rout of the Oilers Tuesday before the three-day Christmas break — and has now started five of the Coyotes' past six games. He made 36 saves in a 2-1 shootout win against the Ducks.

Considering Dubnyk spent most of his career before joining the Coyotes as a No. 1 netminder, the extra workload isn't overwhelming.

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"I also use the experience and familiarity of having played a lot of games in a row in small periods of time in the past and understand what I have to do to take care of myself, whether it's pregame skates or days in between," Dubnyk said. "I just remember what's important to make sure you're ready to play a lot and most importantly just try to enjoy it while it's happening."

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Smith is toting around a 3.48 goals-against average, a .884 save percentage and has gone 1-9-2 in his last 12 starts. And to get out of that hole, Smith will have to play.

"A winger can go through a slump, and you can not notice it for a while," Tippett said. "But when your goaltender goes through it, it jumps out at you. At some point, he's going to have to jump in there and we're going to have to ride him and get his game back in order."

Sarah McLellan writes for the Arizona Republic