'I'm just ready': Oilers' Campbell good to go after 'freak' broken nose incident, 12-day reset
A broken nose is not stopping Jack Campbell from wanting to get back into the net for the Edmonton Oilers.
The 30-year-old netminder was injured while sitting on the bench Monday in New Jersey, when a tipped puck smacked him in the face.
"Sore, but I'm good. It's just a broken nose, nothing crazy," Campbell told reporters Tuesday.
"Just instinctively, I saw that we were dumping it in high, not that it was going into the bench, so I kinda put my glove out and the (defenceman) just tipped it right off the nose. It's all good."
Campbell said he hadn't had a broken nose since high school, when a hockey teammate popped him in the face during boxing training.
The $5 million-a-year free-agent addition has struggled mightily in his first 10 games for the Oilers. His save percentage (.873) is 71st in the NHL and his goals-against-average (4.27) ranks 72nd.
Campbell called his game "pathetic" earlier this month following a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.
After giving up seven goals in his last start against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 10 and riding the bench for four straight matchups, Campbell suggested he's ready to play Wednesday if called upon against the New York Islanders.
"I've kinda been through this pretty much every year since I've played hockey," he said of hitting rough patches.
"But whenever you get through it, it makes you stronger and you know this is going to definitely just keep making me stronger mentally and physically. I'm just ready to help this team and play to my ability."
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said Monday he needed to speak with Campbell and the team's medical staff before declaring his starting goaltender.
"He's put in a lot of work. He's feeling good. I have no doubt he's going to give us what he has in his next start, whenever that is," Woodcroft told reporters after a team skate.
"We want to start well whether it's Jack Campbell, Stuart Skinner or Grant Fuhr in the net. It doesn't matter who's in the net, we want to make sure we're starting better as a team, because I think when we start well, we play well. It's proven."
Woodcroft called the broken nose injury a "freak thing" but he wants to make sure Campbell's head and eyes are clear before playing him.
Skinner started the last four games for the Oilers. He ranks 13th in the league in goals-against-average (2.78) amongst goalies who have played 10 or more games. He is sixth in save-percentage (.921.)
Campbell said whenever his next opportunity comes, his goal is to keep it simple.
"Just having some fun and stopping a lot of rubber," he said with a smile.
The puck drops in New York just after 5:30 p.m. MT.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.