With goaltender Frederik Andersen missing in action due to a lower-body injury and no clear timetable to return, Jack Campbell has stepped in and continued to help the Toronto Maple Leafs pile up victories.
On Friday, Campbell made 31 saves as his team defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a shootout and improved to 8-0-0 this season with a .951 save percentage.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, Campbell made several game-saving stops as the Jets pressured for the go-ahead goal.
The first difficult save came on a 3-on-2 after Mitch Marner turned the puck over in his own zone. The Jets collapsed toward the net before getting the puck to Pierre-Luc Dubois on the right side. But Campbell slid across to make a pad save.
A couple of minutes later, Campbell made a couple of saves. The latter, a rebound as he robbed Andrew Copp
The barrage of hell from the Jets concluded moments later when Kyle Connor attempted another shot from the glove side of Campbell. The goaltender came across for the save.
There was some concern as he appeared to favor the same leg that kept him out of the lineup for multiple stretches this season. And that concern is warranted as the team continues to manage the goaltender’s health. Campbell finished the game, although it’s something to keep an eye on.
But it’s clear his teammates are thrilled to be playing in front of a goaltender who has, at times, snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.
“Hockey is about confidence and I think he gives us confidence right now,” Jason Spezza said. “We’re trying to give him confidence by keeping things to the outside and (he’s) just a guy that’s really benefitting getting a little momentum here.”
Spezza scored the only goal in the shootout, Toronto’s first of the season.
Unlike the team’s first game in the two-game set, the Leafs got off to a slow start against the Jets, who had 17 scoring chances in the opening period compared to seven from Toronto.
“They had a lot of opportunities, if it wasn’t for Soup, we’d be down early in the game,” Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin said. “Both goalies had some big saves and they kept everyone in it here.”
Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott eventually opened the scoring at 5:16 of the second period. His shot from the point went through a sea of humanity before the puck sailed past Connor Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg’s lone goal came off a 2-on-1 that Copp cashed in on at 11:50.
From there, both goaltenders dueled and it’s in these games where Campbell’s game went to a different level.
In two consecutive games against the defending Vezina Trophy winner, Campbell outperformed Hellebuyck.
There is no better measuring stick than that.
“When he has that steadiness and that calmness, he just calms everyone down,” Marner said of Campbell. “I think we relied on him a bit too much, but I mean, he was unbelievable in both these games and that’s a big reason why we won both.”
Of course, it wasn’t always this way for Campbell.
The 11th overall pick from the 2010 NHL Draft took a long road to get here. During his time with the Dallas Stars organization, he struggled with confidence issues. In 2015, Campbell and Hellebucyk were teammates when they both represented Team USA at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic.
“When I was struggling early in my career, he was always right there texting me and kind of coached me a little bit,” Campbell said of Hellebuyck. “He’s always been there so I appreciate his friendship so much.”
Hellebucyk was equally thrilled for his Campbell, even though it came at his expense. His comments also reflected how different this season is.
After games, you’d often see players from opposing teams mingling before boarding the team bus or going home. With COVID-19 protocols in full effect, many of the human interactions have been taken away.
You know, I wish I could say hi to him after the game or talk to him more after the game because he’s such a great guy on and off the ice,” Hellebuyck said of Campbell. “I think a good rivalry is happening and I’m excited to see the success he’s having.”
Campbell’s eight straight victories put him one back of tying the Leafs’ record of nine held by Felix Potvin, Jacques Plante and John Ross Roach.
As long as the injury issues can be managed (and that’s still a big if), Campbell is the guy.
There’s no debate. He’s the team’s starting goaltender until his performance dictates otherwise.
“You can just see his confidence growing and you can see the team’s confidence in him growing as well,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He was playing in a game tonight with virtually no room for error and he was there on all the breakdowns we had today, which I thought we had too many.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
