Jack Campbell posts 30-save shutout in Bakersfield Condors win

Jack Campbell is back in the win column.

On Wednesday, the 31-year-old stopped 30 shots in a shutout victory by the Bakersfield Condors over the Henderson Silver Knights.

The win was Campbell’s first since he cleared through waivers and was sent to the American Hockey League earlier this month. It was also Campbell’s first win overall since October 17, when he stopped 43 of 44 shots in an Edmonton Oilers victory over the Nashville Predators.

 

Campbell signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Oilers ahead of the 2022-23 season and posted an .888 save percentage over 36 appearances during his first campaign in Edmonton. He had a very strong showing during the pre-season this fall but that didn’t carry over into the regular season, as Campbell put up an .873 save percentage in five games before the Oilers placed him on waivers.

The Oilers are currently operating with a goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and third-stringer Calvin Pickard. Skinner has an .873 save percentage over 11 appearances this season but has seen that number improve to .908 over four games with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench. Pickard made his Oilers debut on Monday against the Florida Panthers and allowed four goals on 31 shots.

The hope for the Oilers is that Campbell can find his game and regain his confidence while playing in Bakersfield. The team would surely love to eventually call Campbell back up and have him effectively split the net with Skinner, but strong results with the Condors might also make it easier for the Oilers to move the veteran in a trade.

Over at Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli speculated about five options for the Oilers to improve their goaltending situation via trade: James Reimer, Mackenzie Blackwood, Jake Allen, Karel Vejmelka, and Carter Hart.