Kaapo Kahkonen was unbeatable in Game 2, frustrating the Bruins and sending the Checkers back home with a 2-0 series lead.
The veteran netminder saw plenty of action Sunday night - including five man advantages and a 15-shot flurry in the final frame - but was square to them all, earning his second straight win between the pipes for Charlotte this postseason.
The two sides traded chances throughout the contest, but a quick burst by Charlotte in the front half of the second period proved to be the difference. Wilmer Skoog crashed the net to follow up a C.J. Smith shot attempt and knocked it past the goal line, then minutes later Marek Alscher threw a puck toward a horde of bodies and ricocheted it off Ben Steeves’ skate and into the back of the net.
With a 2-0 lead in hand, the Checkers never relinquished control of the game from there and now carry a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Charlotte.
NOTES
The Checkers have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which now shifts to Charlotte for the remaining games … Kahkonen recorded the seventh playoff shutout in franchise history and his first career postseason shutout … Steeves has a goal in both games this series … Skoog scored his first playoff goal as a pro … Marek Alscher recorded his first pro postseason point … Mikulas Hovorka recorded his first postseason point as a North American pro … The Checkers were 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and successfully killed eight straight power plays over the first two games of the series … Dating back to the regular season the Checkers have won seven straight road games … Riley Bezeau, Nicholas Zabaneh, MacKenzie Entwistle, Zac Dalpe, Ryan McAllister, Kai Schwindt, Aidan McDonough, Sandis Vilmanis, Riley Hughes, Riese Gaber, Liam McLinskey, Mitch Vande Sompel, Eamon Powell, Colton Huard, Dennis Cesana and Cooper Black were the extras for Charlotte
