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After a week of losses and disappointing performance, the Toronto Maple Leafs got back in the win column, as William Nylander scored in overtime to give the Leafs a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Wednesday.
John Tavares and David Kampf scored for Toronto in regulation and the Leafs core group each registered a point in snapping the club’s four game losing skid, but the performance of Jack Campbell made 28 saves and kept Toronto within striking distance after falling behind 2-0 in the first period on goals by Kirby Dach and Alex Debrincat.
"We (couldn't) let that deficit grow. We gave up too many chances again in that third period, we got some help at different times at the posts, but Jack battles." Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. "We come to expect that he's going to be there for us . Two go by him in the first period, but (he) just made sure that the third one didn't go and that gives us a chance. As a team, we should be consistently scoring three or more a night. If a goalie can keep us below three, we should win most games, so Jack did his job."
Campbell made an incredible left pad save on Phillip Kurashev midway through the third period to keep the score 2-1 prior to Kampf’s tying goal, stopped Brandon Hagel on a poke check in overtime and on Seth Jones just before Nylander’s breakaway winner.
His name is Jack Campbell pic.twitter.com/VfFki3Bm3n
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 28, 2021
"(Jack's) been stellar (in) a lot of those games. I know he puts a lot of blame on himself, but every single one of those games he's competed for us, he's made a lot of big saves (and) kept it closer than it should be." Leafs winger Mitch Marner said. "We want to make sure we protect our net more, protect him more, but he's done a great job in net, staying confident and protecting us."
With backup Petr Mrazek skating but not ready to return to the lineup, Toronto will likely lean heavily on Campbell for the bulk of their five-game homestand, with days off in between. The club returns to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, and will host Vegas next Tuesday, Tampa Bay on Thursday and Boston on Saturday, before finishing up against Los Angeles a week from next Monday.
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Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
Convo on Podcast.#theleafsconvo https://t.co/Xdn3CDLVCI
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