Oilers' Campbell makes potential save of the year in win over Predators

After being pulled on opening night versus the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers netminder Jack Campbell looked like a man possessed in Tuesday night’s victory versus the Nashville Predators.

Campbell was phenomenal for the Oilers in preseason play, leading many to believe he would bounce back after what was a rough 2022-23 season. However, opening night did him no favours, as he allowed four goals on 16 shots before being replaced by Stuart Skinner.

Last season, a performance like that would have crushed Campbell and may have impacted him for several starts afterward. This season appears to be different, as the 31-year-old claimed to have worked hard on his mental game over the summer. That work paid off on Tuesday, as he kicked aside 42 of the 43 shots he faced, several of which were high quality.

As fantastic as Campbell was all night, his most impressive moment came early into the second period. With roughly 17:30 remaining on the clock, Gustav Nyquist was able to cut in behind Cody Ceci before pulling the puck across the top of the crease. The nifty move put Campbell in a tough position, but the Oilers netminder never gave up on the play and made a scorpion-like stop that will undoubtedly be one of the best saves we see this entire season.

SOUP IS SCALDING IN NASHVILLE 🥣🔥 pic.twitter.com/xZuTiPwghD

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 18, 2023

While the stop on Nyquist above was Campbell’s best of the night, it was far from the only ten-bell save he made. Early into the third period, he was forced to readjust quickly after a point shot from Roman Josi sailed wide before bouncing right off the boards behind the net onto the stick of Juuso Parssinen. The Finnish forward appeared to have a yawning cage before Campbell was able to sprawl out and make another incredible stop.

SOUP. IS. ON. 🥣 #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/sPBnBW66AR

— NHL (@NHL) October 18, 2023

What Campbell gave the Oilers last night is what they expected when they chose to give him a five-year, $25 million deal during the 2022 offseason. As disappointing as his first season in Edmonton was, all will be forgiven if he is able to deliver performances like last night on a consistent basis moving forward.

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