EDMONTON, AB - After Mike Smith was absent from practice on Thursday, Head Coach Dave Tippett revealed that the goaltender will be on the shelf for a short period due to a re-aggravated thumb injury.
"Mike Smith had an MRI on his thumb yesterday and was found to have a partial tear of a tendon," Tippett told the media. "He's going to miss a week to two weeks."
Smith suffered an undisclosed injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 19 that kept him out of the lineup for 27 games before he returned to action against the New Jersey Devils on New Year's Eve. In extra innings in Newark, the 39-year-old managed to make a pair of breakaway saves but suffered a sprained thumb in the process as the club gained a point in the 6-5 overtime defeat.
BLOG: Smith suffers setback
Oilers goaltender expected to miss one to two weeks with partial tendon tear in thumb
