2024 NHL draft-eligible prospect Sam O'Reilly recorded a four-point night in London's Game 4 7-3 victory over the Saginaw Spirit.
The Saginaw Spirit took Game 3 on home ice to get back in the series against London. Wednesday night Saginaw had the opportunity to tie things up and head back to London with now a best-of-three in play in the Western Conference Finals.
London's Sam Dickinson and Sam O'Reilly — both eligible for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft — had other plans as they scored on the Knights's first two shots of the game. The home crowd was stunned, and the Dow Event Center quickly became quiet.
That was until Calem Mangone responded less than three minutes later on the powerplay with his seventh of the playoffs. Now a 2-1 hockey game and the home crowd back in it.
Boston Bruins prospect and a key member of the London Knights defense core Jackson Edward made his series debut after missing the first three games due to unknown reasons
After Games 1 and 2 in the series were lacking in the goals department, Saginaw exploded for six goals in Game 3, and the goals kept on coming in Game 4, but more in favour of the away team. The second period was a ring-around-the-rosy with both teams trading goals.
St. Louis Blues prospect Landon Sim put the Knights up 3-1 four minutes into the second period with a slick little curl-and-drag wrister. However, Ottawa Senators prospect Jorian Donovan got the Spirit back within one shortly after.
Then it was time for both powerplays to get involved. Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Oliver Bonk fished the puck out of a scramble in front of the crease to make it 4-2 for London before Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck rifled his fourth of the playoffs for Saginaw.
In the third, the Knights got a fortunate bounce on their fifth goal, but it started with a shot block by Oliver Bonk and then a smart outlet pass by Sam O'Reilly to spring Max McCue and Easton Cowan up ice.
Lalonde stopped Cowan's shot but Saginaw's Joey Willis, hustling back defensively to stop the partial breakaway, had the rebound go off his body and into the net, taking the air right out of the building.
The recently named OHL Most Outstanding Player of the Year Easton Cowan finished with two points and a plus-5 in this one.
Sam O'Reilly and Isaiah George added empty-net goals as London closed things out by a score of 7-3 and now leads their best-of-seven series 3-1.
O'Reilly may have raised his draft stock a bit with his performance in Game 4. He had two goals, four points, and was a plus-4 with five shots on net. McCue added three assists himself and was a plus-6(!).
The London Knights can close out the series Friday night at the Budweiser Gardens and win their second straight Wayne Gretzky Trophy.
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