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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — Proceed with caution.

That’s the Maple Leafs’ reigning philosophy when it comes to managing the health of goaltender Jack Campbell. It’s a prudent one at that. Campbell is a perfect 8-0-0 on the season, with a sparkling .951 save percentage, and has recently taken over the starter’s net from an injured Frederik Andersen.

Campbell himself is still nursing an injury too though. It’s the same nagging leg problem that has forced him to miss two stretches of time this year, and the Leafs aren’t taking any chances of it becoming serious again.

Campbell sat out Saturday’s practice in Calgary after backstopping Toronto to a 2-1 shootout win over Winnipeg on Friday, and Michael Hutchinson will start the first half of the Leafs’ back-to-back against the Flames on Sunday.

“We were going to split both guys; we were going to use both of them,” coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Saturday of the goaltending breakdown. “We just thought it made sense to give Jack the extra day. We've got to continue to be smart with how we manage his workload. Despite the fact that we don't have Frederik available, we’ve still got to be smart with Jack here.”

Andersen did not join the Leafs on their current four-game road trip. He’s been sidelined since March 20 with a re-aggravated lower-body issue and remained in Toronto to undergo further testing. Keefe said earlier this week the results Andersen had received showed he’s continuing to make progress, but there is no timeline yet for his return.

That has thrust Campbell into the spotlight, and he’s earning serious accolades. Campbell’s eight consecutive wins to start the season is second-most by a goalie in Leafs’ franchise history, behind the great Felix Potvin.

This season his .951 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average are best in the NHL by a goaltender who has made at least five starts, and he’s the only undefeated netminder in that category.

Campbell had primarily been in a back-up role for four seasons with the Los Angeles Kings before Toronto acquired him in a Feb. 2020 trade. But increasing his responsibilities amid Andersen’s ongoing struggles doesn’t concern the Leafs at all.

“I think we can only go off of what we've seen here and I would say the potential [for him as a longer-term starter] is great,” said Keefe. “He's gaining more confidence, gaining more experience. Soupy was outstanding for us [Friday]. There was some backdoor stuff where he's got to really compete and work to get over make a big save and he did that.”

“He’s just a very, very confident goalie right now,” added Joe Thornton. “He's seeing the puck really good, he's [feeling] healthy, and his confidence [is great].”

As such, the Leafs continue to have ample confidence in Campbell.

“He's really feeling it right now,” said Alex Kerfoot. “He's calm, composed in the net, and he's just an athletic guy so he's able to make some saves that not a lot of guys can and it's fun to watch him out there right now.”

If Campbell’s been riding high, Hutchinson’s in a bit of a slump. Toronto’s third-string goalie is 0-1-1 in his last three starts, including a brutal performance in Ottawa on March 14 where he allowed two goals on three shots and was pulled. That losing decision ultimately went on Andersen’s record after he replaced Hutchinson in net.

Hutchinson did have one of his best games of the season against Calgary, with a 22-save showing in Toronto’s 2-1 overtime win on Feb. 24. The Leafs will be counting on him to channel that success again come Sunday. Calgary has just one win in its last seven games, while the Leafs are finally on a roll with four wins in their last five. They expect to keep that momentum going.

“We know that there's no easy games in this league or in this division and we've seen that throughout the year,” said Kerfoot. “Any team can beat anyone. [The Flames have] got a lot of skill on their team, they play hard, defend well. It's going to be a tough matchup again tomorrow we got to be dialled in.”