Toronto Maple Leafs waste solid start by Jack Campbell against Sharks

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ three-game winning streak came to an end as they waste a solid effort by backup Jack Campbell against the San Jose Sharks.

Just as things were looking good for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the San Jose Sharks reminded them that they can’t just sit back and hope their goaltending can keep them afloat.

It seems like that has been the trend when Jack  Campbell gets the call considering the recently acquired backup has faced 30 or more shots in four of the five games he’s played. This was the second time Campbell faced 37 shots on goal and it’s safe to say he did his best to keep the team in it.

There was a point in the game where it felt like Campbell was facing a firing squad and ironically, the goals he allowed were weird ones for the most part. Sure, Martin Jones was equally as impressive in this game but also had some luck on his side too.

Auston Matthews line was consistently dominant from start to finish in this game with Matthews scoring his 46th of the season and Mitch Marner ending his slump with an unreal goal. 

Other than Campbell and the Matthews line, the Leafs didn’t seem to get enough from the rest of the lineup especially John Tavares‘ line. There were moments where Kyle Clifford tried to bring a spark with a big hit but for the most part, there were a lot of underwhelming performances.

Hopefully, this effort doesn’t trickle over to Thursday night against a Los Angeles Kings team that is hitting their stride over the past three games. The Leafs cannot let their position in the standings give them any reason to think they can take their foot off the gas at any point.

There will be the occasional letdown but on a night where your backup goal is playing lights out and coming up with heroic saves, that should motivate the rest of the group to bring more.

What were your thoughts on the Leafs’ loss to the Sharks? What positive can they take from it moving forward? Let us know in the comments below.