The Toronto Maple Leafs completed the first leg of their four-game road trip with their second straight victory over the Winnipeg Jets, as Jason Spezza converted in the shootout to give the Leafs a 2-1 victory at the Bell MTS Centre on Friday.
Travis Dermott and Andrew Copp exchanged second period goals in a contest that showcased the goaltending of Connor Hellebuyck and Jack Campbell.
Hellebuyck made 37 saves in the contest and especially came up big in overtime, with excellent stops during a Toronto four-on-three power play. Campbell made 31 saves in regulation and overtime, and stopped all three Winnipeg attempts in the shootout to earn the extra point.
“(Jack was) just outstanding. You can see his confidence growing and you can see the team’s confidence in him growing as well. It’s just terrific.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “He’s playing in a game tonight with virtually no room for error and he was there on all the breakdowns we had today, which I thought we had too many of. He was really good. Obviously, a huge reason why we get points here tonight.”
Campbell kept the game scoreless in a first period dominated by the Jets, aided by sloppy Toronto giveaways. Copp’s tying goal was as a result of a bad pinch by defenseman Morgan Rielly that resulted in a 2-on-1 break going the other way. In the third, the Leafs goalie was tested and made a number of big saves that kept the score even, including a sprawling stop on Adam Lowry after a Mitch Marner turnover which appeared to leave Campbell in some discomfort.
“Unbelievable. (Campbell) made a couple of really huge saves, but throughout the night, just how steady he was in the net. I think when he has that steadiness and just that calmness he just calms everyone down.” Marner said. “I think we relied on a little too much, but I mean, he was unbelievable both these games. That's a big reason why we won both.”
The Leafs will practice in Calgary on Saturday in advance of back-to-back contests against the Flames Sunday and Monday, and it will be notable if Campbell participates or is given the day off after appearing to tweak his lower body injury. Keefe may opt to give Campbell an extra day by starting Michael Hutchinson on Easter and the entire day off by having Veini Vehvilainen serve as the backup.
The Toronto power play once again struggled in the contest, going 0-for-3 on Friday and continuing an 0-26 streak of futility that extends back to March 9 vs. Winnipeg. The Leafs did generate some scoring chances during the overtime man advantage, appeared to simplify their zone entries and attempted to get the puck to the net, but were thwarted by Hellebuyck.
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