That’s the Maple Leafs’ reigning philosophy when it comes to managing the health of goaltender Jack Campbell. It’s a prudent one at that. Campbell is a perfect 8-0-0 on the season, with a sparkling .951 save percentage, and has recently taken over the starter’s net from an injured Frederik Andersen.
Campbell himself is still nursing an injury too though. It’s the same nagging leg problem that has forced him to miss two stretches of time this year, and the Leafs aren’t taking any chances of it becoming serious again.
Campbell sat out Saturday’s practice in Calgary after backstopping Toronto to a 2-1 shootout win over Winnipeg on Friday, and Michael Hutchinson will start the first half of the Leafs’ back-to-back against the Flames on Sunday.
“We were going to split both guys; we were going to use both of them,” coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Saturday of the goaltending breakdown. “We just thought it made sense to give Jack the extra day. We’ve got to continue to be smart with how we manage his workload. Despite the fact that we don’t have Frederik available, we’ve still got to be smart with Jack here.”
Andersen did not join the Leafs on their current four-game road trip. He’s been sidelined since March 20 with a re-aggravated lower-body issue and remained in Toronto to undergo further testing. Keefe said earlier this week the results Andersen had received showed he’s continuing to make progress, but there is no timeline yet for his return.
That has thrust Campbell into the spotlight, and he’s earning serious accolades. Campbell’s eight consecutive wins to start the season is second-most by a goalie in Leafs’ franchise history, behind the great Felix Potvin.
This season his .951 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average are best in the NHL by a goaltender who has made at least five starts, and he’s the only undefeated netminder in that category.
Campbell had primarily been in a back-up role for four seasons with the Los Angeles Kings before Toronto acquired him in a Feb. 2020 trade. But increasing his responsibilities amid Andersen’s ongoing struggles doesn’t concern the Leafs at all.
“I think we can only go off of what we’ve seen here and I would say the potential [for him as a longer-term starter] is great,” said Keefe. “He’s gaining more confidence, gaining more experience. Soupy was outstanding for us [Friday]. There was some backdoor stuff where he’s got to really compete and work to get over make a big save and he did that.”
“He’s just a very, very confident goalie right now,” added Joe Thornton. “He’s seeing the puck really good, he’s [feeling] healthy, and his confidence [is great].”
As such, the Leafs continue to have ample confidence in Campbell.
“He’s really feeling it right now,” said Alex Kerfoot. “He’s calm, composed in the net, and he’s just an athletic guy so he’s able to make some saves that not a lot of guys can and it’s fun to watch him out there right now.”
If Campbell’s been riding high, Hutchinson’s in a bit of a slump. Toronto’s third-string goalie is 0-1-1 in his last three starts, including a brutal performance in Ottawa on March 14 where he allowed two goals on three shots and was pulled. That losing decision ultimately went on Andersen’s record after he replaced Hutchinson in net.
Hutchinson did have one of his best games of the season against Calgary, with a 22-save showing in Toronto’s 2-1 overtime win on Feb. 24. The Leafs will be counting on him to channel that success again come Sunday. Calgary has just one win in its last seven games, while the Leafs are finally on a roll with four wins in their last five. They expect to keep that momentum going.
“We know that there’s no easy games in this league or in this division and we’ve seen that throughout the year,” said Kerfoot. “Any team can beat anyone. [The Flames have] got a lot of skill on their team, they play hard, defend well. It’s going to be a tough matchup again tomorrow we got to be dialled in.”
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
