Here is why Campbell has been struggling so much in recent weeks
Despite having an All-Star season, Jack Campbell has struggled ever since the calendar turned over to 2022. Soup has not been the same goalie that earned his way into the early Vezina conversation and ran away with the Leafs' #1 goalie position. His save percentage has dropped to a .921, which is still good, but his sub .900 save percentage over his last 8 starts is concerning.
The 30-year-old is showing clear regression from where he was at earlier this season. When looking at Campbell's struggles, it's important to ask - where do these struggles stem from and how can they be fixed?
One of the biggest factors in Campbell's struggles has been a change in routine, which can be backbreaking for goalies. In December and January, the Leafs had many games postponed because of the COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario. Luckily, these restrictions are slowly lifting in Ontario and as of late the Leafs have been playing a more consistent schedule. Unfortunately for Campbell, Petr Mrazek has finally started to look like the goalie that the Leafs were expecting when they signed him to a three-year contract this past offseason. Since roughly mid-January, the Leafs have been using Campbell and Mrazek as a tandem. During this time, Mrazek has elevated his game while Campbell has faltered.
It seems as though the lack of games played for Campbell has messed with his routine. His numbers have been inconsistent. In his last 5 starts, which have come in the span of almost a month, Campbell has posted a save percentage above .900 just once. One big takeaway that I have noticed with Campbell's recent struggles is that he seems to perform better when facing more shots, which is something that we also saw with former Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen.
The breakup in Campbell's routine has definitely resulted in some of his struggles but another reason is the swagger that he was playing with earlier this season is missing. Campbell has gotten caught out of position and deep in his crease on many of the goals against as of late. The Leafs defense has not been physical enough in front of their own net but Campbell hasn't been fighting for position the way the he was earlier this season and instead seems to be hoping the puck just hits him. We saw this in the Calgary game on Thursday night a few times.
There has been a lack of confidence in Campbell's games. Especially in those where is isn't facing many shots. The Leafs netminder needs to find a way to battle and gain that confidence back. Especially in a busy month of February where Campbell and Mrazek will likely be splitting the workload.
Campbell is arguably the most important player not named Auston Matthews to the Leafs' success and when he is not playing like the All-Star that he's been for much of this season. It exposes many of the club's weaknesses and shows the blueline may need more help at the trade deadline than it had originally appeared
Soupy is back in net tonight in Seattle. Let's hope this is the first step in the American goaltender finding his groove again.
