Maple Leafs Jack Campbell goes against the penguins, Joseph Woll Sunday against the islanders
The Toronto Maple Leafs will continue to have the hot hand of Jack Campbell as the scorer will make his home debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Sheldon Keefe confirmed that the plan for Sunday is to start scoring Joseph Woll against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
Woll was victorious on his NHL debut last week when he made 23 saves in a 5-4 win over the Buffalo Sabers.
“I think you never want to overestimate a game but we think the experience will help move him forward,” said Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “We looked at the saves he made during the game and he looked really confident, in the right positions, he looked big into the net and didn’t give up a lot. So that’s the thing. That helps us believe in him.”
Woll has moved up the team depth rankings as the current No 3 goalie in the system. Petr Mrazek, who signed a three-year, $11.4 million deal in July to play alongside Campbell, remains sidelined with a groin injury.
The Czech goalkeeper has been limited to just two games this season and five terms of service.
Mrazek skated in front of the team’s morning skating rink on Saturday, the first of which he had to miss due to a recurrent groin injury on November 7. The timetable for the goalkeeper’s return was announced at the time of writing. minimum of four weeks.
According to Keefe, target prospect Ian Scott is also dealing with groin issues but looks set to join the Marlies soon.
Toronto’s scoring depth suffered again this week when Erik Kallgren was injured in the game against Laval Rocket.
Marlies head coach Greg Moore confirmed to reporters on Friday that Kallgren had a concussion. Former Maple Leafs No 3 goalkeeper, Michael Hutchinson, came on to relieve Kallgren and scored four goals from 28 shots.
The lack of depth in goal has not adversely affected Campbell’s play. He was 7-1-0 in November with a save rate of 0.963 during that period. The team also included Campbell in team practice sessions, a collaborative effort between Keefe, goalkeeping coach Steve Briere and the medical team to ensure he gets the rest and recovery he needs.
“Jack was very good with it and he managed it really well,” Keefe said. “If he needs or wants a practice rep, he’ll say it and announce it.
“But we also designed the practice in such a way that he didn’t have to do certain reps.”
Liljegren in, Dermott out
The only roster change for the Maple Leafs sees a rotation in the last pair as Timothy Liljegren returns and Travis Dermott will rest like a scratch. Despite winning 10 of their last 11 games, Keefe continued to tweak the squad trying to rest several players.
https://www.si.com/hockey/news/maple-leafs-campbell-to-start-against-penguins-woll-sunday-against-islanders Maple Leafs Jack Campbell goes against the penguins, Joseph Woll Sunday against the islanders
