There are people in life who, no matter how good or decent they are, who always seem to fall on their ass, and then there are those who no matter how badly they behave, land on their feet every time. Based on how this season has gone so far for Jack Campbell, he seems to fit into the former category.
As per a report at the weekend from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, Campbell took a shot off the mask at the Condors' morning skate on Friday. This resulted in Ryan Fanti being called up from the Fort Wayne Comets for Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Reign, where he served as backup to Olivier Rodrigue.
Now this could prove to be a great opportunity for Fanti, who only recently returned from a hip injury which had kept him out since before training camp. However, this leads to the question of how long he will be needed in Bakersfield?
Awaiting a prognosis
Unfortunately for everyone concerned, this is the frustration right now. At the time of posting, it is unclear how serious Campbell's injury is, or how long he will be out for.
Pending an update, this is a setback for the 2022 NHL All-Star, who has been playing well of late in winning six of his last eight starts and only once allowing more than two goals in that same period. He leads all Condors goalies -- including Rodrigue -- with a 2.58 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .920 save percentage.
At the same time, it almost makes sense that Campbell would suffer a setback when things are actually going well for him. Every step of the way this season, he has battled against adversity.
Nightmare in Edmonton
This includes struggling with the Oilers to begin the 2023-24 campaign. The 2010 11th overall draft pick went 1-4-0 in five starts, producing a 4.50 GAA and .873 save percentage in the process and resulting in his demotion to the Condors.
Once in Bakersfield things didn't go much better initially, as Campbell allowed 13 goals in his first three starts. Things got so bad that even though he was assigned to the Condors to work on his game, he lost his starting job to Rodrigue.
Since then however, the 32-year-old has battled back and shown excellent form in showcasing the ability he has. We wouldn't go as far as some however, to suggest he deserves a recall to the Oilers, because Calvin Pickard has proved to be an excellent backup to Stuart Skinner.
Ultimately though, everyone connected with the Oilers organisation will be hoping Campbell's absence is short term. The Condors are on course to make the playoffs, and he offers an excellent one-two combo in net with Rodrigue.