Rest for Jack Campbell appears to be the prerogative as Keefe puts some faith in Petr Mrazek
Jack Campbell will be getting some much needed rest when the Leafs take on the New York Islanders on Saturday. Campbell has had a stellar season but has shown signs of fatigue of late. His struggles, unfortunately, coincide with the players in front of him having one of their worst stretches of the season. Many have brought up the need to give Campbell some rest and it looks like he'll get some on Saturday.
Petr Mrazek has struggled this season with a 2-2 record and a .882 save percentage, but will took to turn things around against the Islanders, who are currently 13-13-6 on the season. Mrazek is coming off of a loss to the Arizona Coyotes where he allowed 2 goals on 18 shots, so he'll certainly need to be better.
The Leafs need some questions answered so they'll know how they need to proceed as we approach the midway point of the season. Can Mrazek be an option when Campbell needs rest in the second half of the season? The Islanders sit last in goals scored by a significant margin. They have scored 74 goals in 32 games, 11 behind the second lowest Montreal Canadiens. If there was any game for Mrazek to bounce back in, it's this one.
Hopefully the Czech netminder can put together a quality start against the Isles and prove reliable for the Leafs. Jack Campbell needs rest but unfortunately that cannot be provided if the Leafs have a liability on their bench at the backup position.
The Islanders always show up when they face their former captain, John Tavares, but if Mrazek can hold the fort and provide the Leafs with a win and show that he can play games down the stretch and give the team in front of him a good chance to pick up points, the Leafs and Mrazek will be all the better for it.
