KNIGHTS vs RANGERS | ROUND TWO GAME TWO
Halttunen, Knights, take 2-0 series lead vs Rangers
By Yannis Economopoulos
LONDON, ON – Kasper Halttunen’s three-point outing on Saturday evening led the London Knights to a 5-1 win against the Kitchener Rangers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Halttunen, selected by the San Jose Sharks at 36th overall in the 2023 NHL draft, scored and dished two assists.
Halfway through the opening frame, the Finnish forward put London (6-0-0) ahead 2-1, which eventually stood as the game-winning goal. Through six playoff appearances, Halttunen has four markers and seven points.
Kaleb Lawrence, the team leader in playoff goals, had a two-point outing (1G, 1A) for a second straight game. Less than a minute after the opening puck drop, he put the Knights ahead 1-0 with his fifth marker of the postseason. The overage forward found the loose puck in the slot after Jackson Edward’s point shot was saved by Kitchener (4-4-0) netminder Jackson Parsons.
After Halttunen’s 2-1 goal, Henry Brzustewicz, who played forward due to the absence of Sam O’Reilly, scored his first OHL playoff goal on a one-timer to cap off a Knights three-on-one counterattack.
Jacob Julien and Edward, who had a two-point performance, rounded out the scoring for the Knights, while Carson Rehkopf buried the lone tally for the Rangers.
Michael Simpson was stellar again as he made 23 saves en route to his sixth playoff win. Meanwhile, Parsons turned away 20 shots for the Blueshirts.
The series resumes on Tuesday night in Kitchener.