McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Nov. 8 – Jack Campbell vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy

Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Tue. Nov. 8, 2022:

Why I like this matchup:

Campbell has been under fire in Edmonton for a poor start to the 2022-23 season. But despite his .874 save percentage, Campbell owns a record of 5-3-0. I think going head-to-head against Vasilevskiy – hockey’s top big-game goaltender – is a good thing for the Oilers netminder.

What to watch for:

Vasilevskiy has been better this year in games where he sees a lot of rubber. Which I would expect from Edmonton. In his last outing against the Carolina Hurricanes, ‘The Big Cat’ faced 55 shots. He stopped 52 before losing in overtime. Vasilevskiy has been consistent this season, with a .911 save percentage in eight starts. But where he’s really earned his paycheck is on the penalty kill: the Lightning goaltender has a .914 save percentage when his team is shorthanded.

It’s hard to gauge where Campbell is at. He recently called his own play “pathetic” and faced criticism head-on. The Oilers backstop has allowed three or more goals in seven of eight games started. There are three key areas where I think Campbell has struggled: alignment, puck tracking, and rebound control. If he can tackle a few of those problem areas, his numbers should improve. But Campbell has not looked confident.

What fantasy owners should do:

Vasilevskiy has been arguably the best fantasy goaltender for quite some time. Start him. But as for Campbell, I wouldn’t play him against the Lightning. Sure, he’s due for a bounce-back game. But that’s a tall task against Tampa Bay.

Bottom line for Jack Campbell:

Another pathetic – his own words – performance might leave Campbell second on the Edmonton depth chart behind Stuart Skinner.

Bottom line for Andrei Vasilevskiy:

Against Connor McDavid and the Oilers, Vasilevskiy needs to be the Lightning’s best penalty killer.