When Jack Campbell was first assigned to Bakersfield, harsh or not, he significantly impacted the Condors negatively. They went from the best start in franchise history through five games, to a team which couldn't buy a win when the embattled goaltender was starting.
Campbell lost his first three starts for the Condors, allowing a combined 13 goals and producing a lacklustre .819 save percentage in the process. Even when the team started winning with him between the pipes, it was despite rather than because of him.
It finally became too much for the Condors to bear, when the 32-year-old allowed four goals on just 21 shots versus the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He was pulled just past the halfway point of the contest, criticized by his coach Colin Chaulk and subsequently replaced by Olivier Rodrigue as the number one goalie.
The turning point
Campbell was undoubtedly at his lowest point, not helped by Rodrigue going on to justify becoming the main man in net. However, it now seems that this is what it took, to finally turn things around.
Due to the embarrassing outcome against the Firebirds, Campbell had to wait two weeks before getting his next chance. However, since that next opportunity versus the San Jose Barracuda, he's been on a roll.
The 2022 All-Star won three consecutive starts, allowing just two goals per contest and accumulating an impressive .942 save percentage. He continued in a similar fashion on Sunday afternoon in Ontario, albeit after a tough beginning.
Early adversity
Campbell allowed a goal just 2:03 into the game versus the Reign, to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead. In fairness he could do little after making a save, with Hayden Hodgson slotting home the rebound.
The Condors came back late on in the opening period, scoring twice in the space of 2:28 to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Carter Savoie and Matvey Petrov both scored their third goals of the AHL season, with the latter's coming on a power play.
The Reign tied up the game with the only goal of the second period, as they dissected the Condors like a hot knife through butter. Once more Campbell couldn't be blamed, as Alex Turcotte fired home to make it 2-2.
Scoring blitz in the third
The final period saw the 2010 11th overall draft pick shut up shop, as he stopped all nine shots he faced. He was helped by the Condors turning it on offensively, particularly on the power play.
The visitors scored four times during the final 20 minutes, including three goals with the man advantage, to complete a resounding 6-2 win over the Reign. Drake Caggiula scored twice, with the other goals coming from Seth Griffith and Xavier Bourgault respectively.
As a result of his brace Caggiula took home the game's First Star, while Lane Pederson was awarded the Second Star due to his two assists. For his part, Campbell saved 27 of 29 shots, to win his fourth consecutive start.
With the win the Condors are now 10-1-3 in their past 14 games, which is the best current run of any team in the Pacific Division. They also improved to 16-1-3 when scoring three or more goals this season.
The Condors remain eight in the division, but still have at least five games in hand on everyone above them, while also now having the fifth-best points percentage in the Western Conference. Next up they will travel to San Jose, to face the Barracuda on Wednesday night.