Jack Campbell’s terrible luck seems to be continuing, as the Edmonton Oilers goaltender has left Monday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils early after taking a puck to the face – on the bench.
jack campbell gets clipped with a puck in the eye area while sitting on the bench. pic.twitter.com/cnxibs7QG9
— zach (@zjlaing) November 22, 2022
The incident occurred late in the second period of the game, as Oilers forward Dylan Holloway was struggling to move a puck between his legs before launching it at the bench. The puck then clipped Campbell near his eye, and the goalie went to the locker room and didn’t return for the remainder of the game.
He was serving as the backup for Edmonton tonight, as Stuart Skinner was the starter for the game against the Devils. The Oilers went on to lose that game 5-2, with Skinner allowing five goals on 28 shots.
It’s just another thing to add to the rough start to Campbell’s career in Edmonton. Despite the 6-4-0 record, Campbell has struggled in the crease with a .873 save percentage and -5.54 goals saved above expected at 5v5, the fourth worst total in the league. He was looking to rebound from a tough end to his 2021-22 campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as after having a .946 save percentage through November, he had .896 percent through the final five months of the year.
Once an 11th overall pick in 2010, Campbell joins the Oilers after rejuvenating his career in Toronto. He’s in the first year of a five year contract with a $5 million cap hit that he signed with the Oilers in free agency, a deal that was met with some skepticism after his struggles in the latter half of the 2021-22 season, along with the emergence of Skinner in Edmonton.
The injury will certainly give the Oilers a chance to truly run with Skinner as the starter, who’s had much different results in the crease than Campbell. Despite a 4-4-0 record, Skinner has a .930 save percentage and has 8.15 goals saved above expected at 5v5, good for fourth in the league. He garnered some attention as a goalie option for Edmonton after he posted a .913 save percentage in 13 games with the Oilers last season amidst some struggles from Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen.