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It was the hot talking point after the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup with Antti Niemi between the pipes: Do you really need an elite goalie anymore to win it all?
The consensus from this year's Western Conference first round: Yeah, ya do.
There's really no other takeaway after watching the Coyotes advance to the second round for the first time since moving from Winnipeg with a 4-0 whitewashing of the Blackhawks on Monday.
Because, really, the Coyotes didn't eliminate the Blackhawks. Mike Smith did.
This was a defining performance. If a 38-win season and a .930 save percentage hadn't proved Smith was one of the game's best, this six-game set should have removed all doubt.
And that's why the path to victory was clear early in this series....
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