Jack Campbell looks to potentially take the starter’s reigns vs. Flames

Tonight may be the most important game of Jack Campbell’s career.
The Leafs go into tonight’s game against the Flames having lost six of their last seven, with five of them seeing Frederik Andersen play in net (although he didn’t start against Ottawa). This has come while the Leafs have a 54.58% 5v5 CF% and a 56.39% 5v5 xGF%, which is fifth and fourth in the league during that span. The Leafs are clearly losing games because of Frederik Andersen, and unlike past seasons where this has been the case, it hasn’t been backed up by otherwise good to elite goaltending.
Campbell hasn’t gotten the crease much in his Leafs tenure, but when he has, he’s impressed. He has a .920 save percentage in 9 games with the Leafs, and a .951 in 3 games this season. It’s an incredibly small sample size, but his .918 career save percentage has at least earned him the benefit of the doubt, especially with Freddie playing as poorly as he has. If he plays well, there’s a good chance he at least gets to split the starts, although there’s reason to believe that that was the plan all along.
Of course, as I mentioned, we’re dealing with a very small sample size when talking about Campbell, so him being an improvement on Freddie is no guarantee. If not for play, then at least for durability, as Campbell hasn’t really seen a starter’s worth of games in his career, something that we at least know Fred can manage. But, if he doesn’t overtake Fred, then the least that can happen is that Campbell gives Fred some rest and he’s better prepared for a playoff run on a Leafs team poised to make a deep run.
Tonight may be one of the more important games of the Leafs season, or at least might be the biggest difference for their season.
Lineups
Toronto Maple Leafs
LW | C | RW | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
![]() JOE THORNTON Rating: 72.3#74 LW | ![]() AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.3#6 C | ![]() MITCH MARNER Rating: 76.6#18 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.06#8 FL1 |
![]() ALEX GALCHENYUK Rating: 70.8#115 LW | ![]() JOHN TAVARES Rating: 77.6#15 C | ![]() WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.1#23 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.83#10 FL2 |
![]() ILYA MIKHEYEV Rating: 74.0#42 LW | ![]() ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 70.8#113 C | ![]() ZACH HYMAN Rating: 74.6#33 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.14#6 FL3 |
![]() WAYNE SIMMONDS Rating: 70.2#112 LW | ![]() PIERRE ENGVALL Rating: 71.0#98 C | ![]() JASON SPEZZA Rating: 69.4#126 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.23#26 FL4 |
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
---|---|---|
![]() MORGAN RIELLY Rating: 75.3#14 LD | ![]() T.J. BRODIE Rating: 74.2#27 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.76#16 DL1 |
![]() JAKE MUZZIN Rating: 75.1#17 LD | ![]() JUSTIN HOLL Rating: 72.0#61 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.56#12 DL2 |
![]() TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 71.7#83 LD | ![]() ZACH BOGOSIAN Rating: 71.4#76 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.56#25 DL3 |
Calgary Flames
LW | C | RW | Forwards |
---|---|---|---|
![]() MATTHEW TKACHUK Rating: 78.0#9 LW | ![]() ELIAS LINDHOLM Rating: 76.5#19 C | ![]() DILLON DUBE Rating: 70.3#108 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.95#18 FL1 |
![]() JOHNNY GAUDREAU Rating: 76.0#19 LW | ![]() SEAN MONAHAN Rating: 74.4#42 C | ![]() BRETT RITCHIE | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.23#19 FL2 |
![]() MILAN LUCIC Rating: 70.7#103 LW | ![]() MIKAEL BACKLUND Rating: 75.5#30 C | ![]() ANDREW MANGIAPANE Rating: 74.2#36 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.48#3 FL3 |
![]() SAM BENNETT Rating: 69.6#127 LW | ![]() DEREK RYAN Rating: 72.0#83 C | ![]() JOSH LEIVO Rating: 71.7#85 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.07#17 FL4 |
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
---|---|---|
![]() MARK GIORDANO Rating: 77.9#6 LD | ![]() RASMUS ANDERSSON Rating: 73.5#36 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.67#9 DL1 |
![]() NOAH HANIFIN Rating: 73.3#49 LD | ![]() CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.0#90 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.16#23 DL2 |
![]() JUUSO VALIMAKI Rating: 72.6#6 LD | ![]() NIKITA NESTEROV | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.42#10 DL3 |
Tale of the Tape

via Mark Norman
Leafs Player to Watch: Alex Galchenyuk
Galchenyuk made his Leafs debut last night, and while he wasn’t a huge difference maker, he seemed to fit right in on that second line with Tavares and Nylander, so it’ll be interesting to see what he can bring to the table tonight now that he’s settled in.
Flames Player to Watch: Johnny Gaudreau
I seem to always hear Gaudreau involved in trade rumours, or hear that he’s struggling, which always intrigues me if it’s a media thing or if there’s some legitimacy to it. It’ll make him interesting to watch to see what kind of impact he makes, or lack thereof.
Leafs Starting Goalie: Jack Campbell
As I mentioned before, Campbell gets the crease tonight, and it’ll be an important one for him and the Leafs, as playing well could be the first step to being the starting goalie for the Leafs who are in desperate need of stability there this season and beyond.
Flames Starting Goalie: David Rittich
I’m sure the Leafs and Leafs fans are still dealing with nightmares after the last series they played against Rittich, so it not being Markstrom tonight won’t make it any easier for the Leafs. It’ll be interesting to see if that game was a PDO bender or if Rittich really does have the Leafs number tonight.
Puck Drop is at 7:00pm EST tonight on Sportsnet
* Lineups and Starting Goalies courtesy of Daily Faceoff
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