Liiga Playoffs: KalPa sneak past HIFK and Assat see off KE in wildcard deciders

[p][b]PA blistering opening seven minutes and nine seconds was all [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] needed to ultimately beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/?mid=IiK4xHvS"]5-2[/a] and set up a quarter-final tie with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a].[/b][/p][p]In the third minute, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/talaja-roope/z7ZE7YlC/"]Roope Talaja[/a] pounced on a loose puck in front of the net as KE failed to clear [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piipponen-samuli/QyWsEwKL/"]Samuli Piipponen[/a]'s centre, and 90 seconds later [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noiva-nestor/Aq9FOMlr/"]Nestor Noiva[/a] fought off defenders as he cut inside from the left and fired past the goaltender.[/p][p][b]The Pori side were in dreamland come the eighth minute, as Noiva won possession in the visitors' zone and laid the puck back for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/juhola-patrik/IV7HT9uC/"]Patrik Juhola[/a] to slam home for 3-0.[/b][/p][embed guid="3c99296d-be41-43df-be65-df3efef1bd17" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2037224572840218844" social-type="twitter" /][p]That's how things stayed until midway through the game, when Noiva forced another turnover before drawing the goaltender and squaring the puck for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kostilainen-sakari/2NsMbwkE/"]Sakari Kostilainen[/a] to add a simple fourth.[/p][p][b]However, that goal seemed to galvanise the Espoo side, who pulled one back seconds later when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/komarov-leo/js43yldR/"]Leo Komarov[/a] scored unassisted, and then inside the last five minutes of period two, a neat passing move unlocked the Assat defence and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nakyva-kristian/pMOmzcdC/"]Kristian Nakyva[/a] made it a two-goal game.[/b][/p][p]But the Aces managed to hold their nerve, shutting out the Kiekko comeback in the final period, and completed a 5-2 win in the final minute when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/knihti-feetu/v5GT48FS/"]Feetu Knihti[/a] found the empty net, condemning KE to a second wildcard-round exit in as many seasons.[/p][embed guid="aa46d6c4-ed51-4801-9faa-d9326937694e" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2037240383130734681" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Reigning Liiga champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] still have the chance to defend their title, as they won a tense game-five battle with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-helsinki/Ige43GcN/"]IFK Helsinki[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ifk-helsinki-Ige43GcN/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=jkvs2Ax3"]3-2 after overtime[/a] to reach the quarter-finals, where they will play [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a].[/b][/p][p]Having found themselves 2-1 down in the series, KalPa looked to have done the hard part, passing the game four test with flying colours, winning 4-1 away to set up a decider on home ice.[/p][p]But having already won in Kuopio, [b]HIFK came in with no fear, and proved it in the seventh minute, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/larsen-oliver/K65oNSlK/"]Oliver Larsen[/a] found a route to goal to break the deadlock unassisted.[/b] The game remained cagey, with 24 shots on goal over the first two periods; 14 belonged to KalPa, but they couldn't take advantage.[/p][p][b]However, the visitors gave KalPa a huge lifeline just 10 seconds into the third period, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kodytek-petr/4Cl81fgd/"]Petr Kodytek[/a] was given a game misconduct penalty for slashing. Three minutes later, the home side made use of the powerplay and were level when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/soderlund-tim/zw8YUIgs/"]Tim Soderlund[/a] found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curry-patrick/dv80108m/"]Patrick Curry[/a].[/b][/p][embed guid="cdf9c421-119c-4ac2-81a1-cb3563b35c2f" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2037236229628965186" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]The 5-on-4 situation continued, not that it didn't play much of a part in KalPa's second, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/westerlund-filip/nkFgJt7d/"]Filip Westerlund[/a]'s shot from the blue line whistled past the goaltender and into the bottom corner.[/b][/p][p]Credit to HIFK, they stopped the rot and wanted to prove they were the better side when the teams were level, [b]and got their reward in the final two minutes, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ervasti-kalle/OOz1OMw7/"]Kalle Ervasti[/a] found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/repo-sebastian/nXHIhU8t/"]Sebastian Repo[/a] wide on the right, and despite the tight angle, powered a wrist shot into the net.[/b][/p][p]That meant the series would be settled in overtime, in which neither side were prepared to give an inch, but after HIFK failed to make the most of a powerplay following a hook from Curry, [b]they were punished in the cruellest way, as Curry himself scored the winner 10 minutes into the extra period.[/b][/p][p]That goal ended the capital side's season one round earlier than their previous campaign.[/p][embed guid="e025408c-8841-433a-b348-54ac3b3c9e3e" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2037250628217356470" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Game one of the quarter-final series will be played on Saturday 28th March.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga playoff quarter-finals on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]