Liiga roundup: SaiPa overtake KooKoo and go second as Ilves reach top four

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] needed overtime last time out against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] to extend their winning run to five matches, and that record was surely going to be tested against a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] side that had won nine of their last 10.[/p][p]But the home side got off to the better start, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kivihalme-teemu/Iocq8CIl/"]Teemu Kivihalme[/a]'s powerplay goal in the sixth minute was all that separated the sides after the first period, though the tide appeared to be turning early in the second, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/emil-kuusla/rqxZrdAp/"]Emil Kuusla[/a] missed a penalty and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paajanen-otto/fke4uA6C/"]Otto Paajanen[/a] levelled the scores.[/p][p][b]An end-to-end next few minutes saw [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fortier-maxime/4lvbJve9/"]Maxime Fortier[/a] put SaiPa 2-1 up only for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oden-joonas/UHjfprPI/"]Joonas Oden[/a] to cancel it out soon after, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salomaki-miikka/vgk8rz7M/"]Miikka Salomaki[/a] gave the hosts the lead for the third time, scoring the fourth goal of the period with only 07:07 played.[/b][/p][p]However, KooKoo had no response before the 40-minute mark, [b]and[/b] [b]when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nikkanen-henri/Yyf8s1nJ/"]Henri Nikkanen[/a] put two goals between the sides eight minutes into the third period, that was the platform SaiPa needed to win the game, as Salomaki added a second, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heikkila-juuso/Cn5C3L94/"]Juuso Heikkila[/a] scored shorthanded late on.[/b][/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kookoo-ljjApDE3/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/?mid=nmNgCAa3"]6-2[/a] win lifts the Lappeenranta side to 97 points, one more than KooKoo, although the visitors have a game in hand. SaiPa trail [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] by three and will play again before the league leaders take to the ice.[/p][embed guid="f3ac1731-9ce9-44c2-b9aa-aadd3ce01072" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFd9m4VFua8" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]The new occupants of the final place in the top four are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a], who knocked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] out of the final automatic quarter-final place with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=bRtajTxp"]4-3[/a] win over one of their rivals for the position, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a].[/b][/p][p]Ilves did it the hard way, after the Kuopio side raced into a 2-0 lead through a pair of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kapanen-konsta/Yq9ApiFh/"]Konsta Kapanen[/a] goals, but four unanswered strikes in their favour, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyberg-john/4YamAHJq/"]John Nyberg[/a] notching two of his own in the middle period.[/p][p]KalPa pulled one back in the final minutes, but it wasn't enough for the champions who sit in seventh place after three losses in a row, but just three points behind the Tampere club, who have put together as many successive victories.[/p][embed guid="9a4631a7-48a2-42aa-9a78-b41dfd8fd2dd" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnhIDzldVdg" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]Recent occupants of a top-four place, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a], have overhauled KalPa and climbed back to sixth with a dominant third period in an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jyp-YVjXBEzi/tps-turku-Wd5rVrgM/?mid=tnG2AlUF"]8-3[/a] victory on the road at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps-turku/Wd5rVrgM/"]TPS Turku[/a].[/b][/p][p]Two each for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/true-alexander/MioAO5Og/"]Alexander True[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wernblom-lukas/CtUX4moN/"]Lukas Wernblom[/a] played their part in the match still hanging in the balance after 40 minutes, with the visitors leading 4-3.[/p][p]But they blew TPS away in the final period, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jormakka-pekka/WOZIDI2O/"]Pekka Jormakka[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/makinen-otto/259aExT2/"]Otto Makinen[/a] grabbed two points each as JYP scored four in eight minutes to run out 8-3 winners. JYP improve their recent inconsistent record to three wins in seven, as Turku sit 11th after seeing their three-game winning run end.[/p][embed guid="598a3bf2-9e73-4041-a2f2-a68eb6d9d6fb" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmHMQHvYrFA" social-type="youtube" /][p]Assat are clinging onto top four ambitions - [b]they won [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/vaasan-sport-Qqy8aCTd/?mid=EaEA8SbS"]4-1[/a] on what was their turn to beat bottom-of-the-table [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vaasan-sport/Qqy8aCTd/"]Vaasan Sport[/a][/b] and stay eight points outside the coveted places. For Sport, it's just two points from their last 12 games.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/talvitie-aarne/6XhVl3Ph/"]Aarne Talvitie[/a] scored twice and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rimpinen-petteri/Kh9Z7uBb/"]Petteri Rimpinen[/a] kept a 26-save shutout as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a] won [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ifk-helsinki-Ige43GcN/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/?mid=Yqes36Mk"]4-0[/a] at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-helsinki/Ige43GcN/"]IFK Helsinki[/a].[/b] KE strengthen their ninth place in the standings, while HIFK remain in 12th with just two points between them and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a] outside the playoff places.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]