Liiga Playoffs: Tappara and SaiPa hit back to narrow semi-final deficits

[p]Back-to-back victories by two goals had put [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] halfway to reaching the Liiga finals, but thanks to a strong first period, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] ensured their opponents wouldn't any closer this evening.[/p][p]The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salomaki-miikka/vgk8rz7M/"]Miikka Salomaki[/a] needed three bites of the cherry to score[/b] - two to get the better of goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/randelin-eetu/INE1Fm4j/"]Eetu Randelin[/a] and another to prod the puck over the line as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gallo-vilmos/phBwxZfB/"]Vilmos Gallo[/a] tried to clear.[/p][p]In the final five minutes of the opening period, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kalapudas-antti/ruBynhXa/"]Antti Kalapudas[/a] registered his second assist by finding [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/airola-santari/bcdmHKu1/"]Santari Airola[/a] in space and he did the rest[/b] with a clean strike, then when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nousiainen-kim/Ei5gUYKt/"]Kim Nousiainen[/a] was guilty of a delay of game penalty, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siikanen-patrik/WSqBQ3gC/"]Patrik Siikanen[/a] made it 3-0 on the powerplay in the 20th minute.[/b][/p][p]KooKoo were in need of a response in the second period, but didn't get one - three minutes in, [b]Kalapudas was again the provider, this time for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nikkanen-henri/Yyf8s1nJ/"]Henri Nikkanen[/a] to bury SaiPa's fourth goal.[/b][/p][p]When Salomaki was penalised for roughing midway through the match, the Kouvola side got on the board through [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/luoto-oskari/bsEX1802/"]Oskari Luoto[/a]'s powerplay goal. [/b][/p][p]A couple more powerplays in the third gave KooKoo the chance to mount a real comeback, but they failed to take advantage, [b]and could only add an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paajanen-otto/fke4uA6C/"]Otto Paajanen[/a] consolation with just over a minute to go[/b], meaning SaiPa had done enough to win [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kookoo-ljjApDE3/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/?mid=hd3PsAVO"]4-2[/a] and get right back in the series.[/p][embed guid="b32be189-dab2-44b5-a72f-e7b90f86cbc9" url="https://x.com/Liiga_SaiPa/status/2046620285827272729" social-type="twitter" /][p]In Tampere, after a 3-2 win in game one, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ilvessuo-jesper-juhani/OpJSrAMm/"]Ilves[/a] humiliated their local rivals [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] 6-0 in game two to give themselves a huge chance of knocking out the top seeds.[/p][p]If the Lynx do not go on to win the semi-final, they will look back on [b]a slashing penalty against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/latvala-otto/OdBFZ8Z4/"]Otto Latvala[/a][/b] as a key moment. He was dismissed for the foul in the eighth minute, and from it, Tappara opened up a 2-0 lead.[/p][p]Less than a minute on from Latvala's dismissal, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tanus-kristian/xSsQo1jE/"]Kristian Tanus[/a]' pass unlocked the disadvantaged Ilves defence and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/blichfeld-joachim/zD6cncwU/"]Joachim Blichfeld[/a] fired in the opener[/b]. Less than three minutes later, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rautiainen-benjamin/KUr19Dum/"]Benjamin Rautiainen[/a] had all the time in the world to pick his spot[/b] and score the second powerplay goal.[/p][p]When Ilves were back to full strength in period two, they showed their true capabilities - less than two minutes in, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mantykivi-matias/l2eFpoRg/"]Matias Mantykivi[/a] stole the puck and played it across for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/torok-matic/KtWca625/"]Matic Torok[/a] to tuck home[/b], and in the 35th minute they were level, [b]as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klingberg-carl/tKbCh7qO/"]Carl Klingberg[/a] went through on goal and beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heljanko-christian/46cyipOI/"]Christian Heljanko[/a].[/b][/p][p]However, indiscipline was again the designated visitors' undoing. Inside the last six minutes of the match, [b]Ilves committed too many men to the ice, and on the powerplay, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jokipakka-jyrki/vi6SmFM5/"]Jyrki Jokipakka[/a]'s shot was defelected in off the skate of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/simontaival-kasper/AoVpUCbM/"]Kasper Simontaival[/a].[/b][/p][p]That was enough for Tappara to get a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=88cWhzvQ"]3-2[/a] win that halves the series deficit, despite not scoring a goal against a full-strength Ilves for two games in a row.[/p][embed guid="e0afa9e4-1af4-4739-8e96-99cf3be78f34" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2046648310534897674" social-type="twitter" /][p]Ilves and Tappara will return for game four on Thursday 23rd, while SaiPa and KooKoo will be back on the ice on Friday 24th.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga Playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]