Jack Campbell reveals that he was injured on the Nick Paul hit in Game 7
During locker room cleanout day on Tuesday, several Leafs were made available to speak with the media - goaltender Jack Campbell among them. Campbell discussed his desire to return to Toronto and how badly he wants to win with this core, but there was something else he revealed that could have been a disaster for the Leafs if they had reached round 2.
Campbell was steamrolled by Lightning forward Nick Paul in the 3rd period in Game 7 with the Leafs down 2-1, leaving him clutching at his knee and in clear pain. There was plenty of talk surrounding the fact that Paul was shoved into Campbell by Leafs forward Colin Blackwell, and while Blackwell definitely did give Paul a push, at 5'9, 190 lbs, I highly doubt that Blackwell is drastically changing the course of the 6'4, 225 lb power forward, who is likely colliding with Campbell regardless because of the angle he took.
According to Campbell on Tuesday, he did suffer an injury on the play, but he did not wish to elaborate on the extent of the injury or whether or not he would have played in round 2 had the Leafs made it past the Bolts in round 1.
Campbell did remain in the game, despite being rocked on the play, though we did see Soup remain in a game last season against the Calgary Flames after being injured in the third period as well, so we know he's a warrior.
Do I think Paul intentionally tried to make contact with Campbell to try to injure him to gain an edge in an important game? No, I dont. Do I believe that the play was a reckless one to drive the net like that while heavily contested by a Leafs back-checker? Yes, I do. Do I think it was careless on the part of Colin Blackwell to attempt to shove a player who was driving his net, knowing full well his starting goalie could take a hit? Also, yes.
Nevertheless, none of that matters now. Campbell and the Leafs have plenty of time to rest and recover before the start of next season. Whether or not he re-signs with the Buds remains to be seen, but we do know that he wants to return.
| POLL | ||
MAI 17 | 786 ANSWERS Jack Campbell reveals that he was injured on the Nick Paul hit in Game 7 Were you shocked that Nick Paul was not called for goaltender interference on the play? | ||
| 100% | 449 | 57.1 % |
| No, he was pushed | 212 | 27 % |
| Dirty play | 125 | 15.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
