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Kevin’s Notebook: Campbell can reset his game and Stars suffer big blow |
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Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell’s rib injury could end up being just what the doctor ordered in more ways than one.
He will be out a minimum of two weeks allowing the injury to heal. Maybe more importantly, it gives Campbell a chance to reset his game. His record is good (24-9-4), but he has experienced some ups and downs with his game since December.
Over the past five games, he has posted game save percentages of .867, .821, .800, .867 and .848. Campbell surrendered 23 goals in those five outings. Since Dec. 7, Campbell has given up four or more goals 11 times in 20 games. His save percentage is below .900 since then.
Now injured, Campbell has time to think about where his game is at heading into the stretch run.
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said the injury isn’t the reason for Campbell’s struggles.
“I don’t think it’s been around that long,” Keefe told the Toronto media. “I don’t think that’s anything at play. He himself was feeling quite comfortable with where he was at.”
With 25 games left in the regular season, the Maple Leafs now have defenseman Jake Muzzin and Campbell dealing with injuries. It will be interesting to see how these situations impact general manager Kyle Dubas’ trade deadline decisions.
The rest of the Notebook:
2. Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz drew everyone’s attention with seven points against Ottawa and four against Detroit. But he’s played good hockey for a while. He has 11 goals and 10 assists now in his past 10 games. Schmaltz set a Coyotes record for points in a game. Sam Gagner (2012) is the only player in the last 32 years to register eight points in a game.
3. The Stars announced today that defenseman Miro Heiskanen will be out indefinitely with mononucleosis. That’s the kind of illness that can linger. Not what the Stars want to hear when they are battling to keep their playoff spot.
4. Advanced stats underlines how important goalie Igor Shesterkin is to the Rangers: New York has given up the third-most high danger scoring chances (570 in 57 games). According to icyData.com, Shesterkin leads the NHL with 57.73 goals prevented above an average goalie. Juuse Saros is second at 43.93.
5. New York Rangers assistant general manager Ryan Martin was selected to serve as general manager for Team USA at the upcoming World Championships in Finland. Keep an eye on Martin for future NHL GM jobs.
6. San Jose Hockey Now quotes unnamed NHL team sources saying defenseman Jake Middleton could probably be traded for a third-round pick. If that’s true, why trade him? He has played well this season. He’s big, tough and strong on the penalty kill. If you are trying to get back to the playoffs, you don’t trade players like Middleton. As long as he plays 20 more games, he’s a restricted free agent.
7. The Minnesota Wild, a team that has looked sharp for most of this season, is 3-8 in their past 11 games. They have given up 51 goals (4.63 goals per game) in those 11 games.
8. Now that Dylan Strome has figured out what he needs to do to be successful, the Blackhawks shouldn’t trade him. He’s 25 and has good seasons in front of him.
9. Forty-two years ago, on March 10, 1980, the New York Islanders acquired Butch Goring from the Los Angeles Kings. The Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups with Goring playing a critical role. Even since then, NHL teams have been chasing their “final piece” before the annual NHL trade deadline. Goring is 72 and currently is a hockey analyst on Islanders television broadcasts.
10. The Dallas Stars are the lowest-scoring team (2.91 goals per game) currently in a playoff spot. They aren’t considered one of the prime contenders. But they were in the Stanley Cup Final when they were not expected to be there. They don’t have much cap space. Do they give up assets and add some scoring? Or do they compete with what they have? Those are never easy decisions.
11. Austin Matthews boasts 84 goals in his past 106 games. That’s vintage Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux-like.
12. With Rasmus Ristolainen reportedly in the final stages of completing a new deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson becomes more valuable. Right-shot D men are in short supply.Justin Braun is another right-shot defenseman drawing attention.
13. The NHL’s top 15-scoring centers are all 50%-or-better faceoff players except Colorado’s Nazem Kadri (49.7%) and Nathan MacKinnon (45.4%). That explains why the Avalanche rank 31st out of 32 NHL teams in faceoff efficiency. Only the Buffalo Sabres are worse.
14. The Florida Panthers have missed the playoffs 17 of the past 22 seasons and now we think they have a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup this season. Would say Bill Zito has a decent shot at winning general manager of the year. He has totally transformed this franchise’s culture.
15. Fans can’t seem to wiggle free from the idea that the Vancouver Canucks are going to somehow end up with Pittsburgh’s Kasperi Kapanen. Canucks director of hockey operations Jim Rutherford drafted him when he was in Pittsburgh. Rutherford also drafted Kapanen’s father when he was in Hartford. Kapanen has also been an under performer in Pittsburgh this season. That’s another reason there is some logic to the idea of Kapanen changing teams.
16. Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz got everyone’s attention with seven points against Ottawa and four against Detroit. But he’s played good hockey for a while. He has 11 goals and 10 assists now in his past 10 games. Schmaltz set a Coyotes record for points in a game. Sam Gagner (2012) is the only player in the last 32 years to register eight points in a game.
17. Vegas goalie Robin Lehner isn’t playing in Buffalo tonight because he was sent back to Las Vegas to have a lower body injury examined. Not good news for the Golden Knights who don’t have a firm grip yet on a playoff spot. The Golden Knights goaltending has been average at best this season. The team ranks 22nd overall with a .907 save percentage. No team in a playoff spot is below them in the rankings.
18. Will Russian players who go home in the upcoming offseason be able to return to the U.S. next fall? Asking for some friends.
19. Will also guess we won’t see non-Russians playing in the KHL next season. In case you don’t follow what happens in the KHL, import players have an impact. Canadian Corbin Knight is third in the KHL scoring race (48 points in 47 games). Two Finnis (Niko Ojamaki and Miro Aaltonen) in the top 10. Americans Brian O’Neill and Kenny Agostino rank 11th and 14th respectively.
20. This is why Patrick Kane is considered one of the NHL’s most competitive athletes: Playing for a team well out of the playoffs, Kane has nine goals and 28 points in his last 16 games. He has eight multiple-point games in that span, including a three-point game, a four-pointer and a six-point game.
21. If the Ducks don’t get Hampus Lindholm signed, he’s the biggest impact defenseman available at the deadline.
22. Would guess that the Detroit Red Wings will be looking hard this summer for a No. 2 center. Pius Suter is a helpful offensive player, but isn’t enough of a difference-maker to carry that load.
23. On the list of the NHL’s top 20 point producers, Johnny Gaudreau ranks 19th in minutes played (18:27 per game) and yet eads the NHL in even-strength points with 59. He’s five ahead of Kirill Kaprizof. The only top scorer who plays fewer minutes is teammate Matthew Tkachuk (17.49). Tkachuk is 11th in the scoring race with 65 points.
24. We are approaching the 25th anniversary of the Detroit Red Wings’ trade deadline acquisition of defenseman Larry Murphy. It happened on March 18, 1997. Detroit general manager Ken Holland acquired him for future considerations. He ended up becoming Nick Lidstrom’s long-time defensive partner and helped Detroit win back-to-back Stanley Cups. That deal is considered one of the best trade deadline acquisitions in NHL history. Murphy just turned 61 and he’s a television analyst on Red Wings’ games for Bally Sports.
25. The Zamboni, invented by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949, made its NHL debut on this date, March 10, 1955, in between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. Before then, NHL ice was cleaned by a group of workers with ice scrapers.
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