Liiga roundup: One point separates top three as SaiPa and KooKoo earn wins

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] not in action tonight left the door open for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] to join them in hitting the 100-point mark, and they took the chance with a 3-1 away win at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps-turku/Wd5rVrgM/"]TPS Turku[/a].[/b][/p][p]After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, [b]a three-minute spell midway through the match turned the tie in the visitors' favour, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sylvegard-emil/raotXp2S/"]Emil Kuusula[/a]'s deadlock-breaker in the eighth minute was soon followed up by a second from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/niinisaari-samuli/KAyswuJ8/"]Samuli Niinisaari[/a].[/b][/p][p]Exactly halfway through the final period, TPS made a game of it when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maatta-joel/0r49vFaf/"]Joel Maatta[/a] halved the deficit, only for SaiPa to kill it off in the final minute, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nikkanen-henri/Yyf8s1nJ/"]Henri Niikanen[/a] took his points tally to two by slotting home the empty-netter to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/tps-turku-Wd5rVrgM/?mid=dn8XDNz8"]3-1[/a] to the away side.[/p][p]Another three-point haul brings up the Lappeenranta side's century with seven matches to spare, though the stay second and have played two games more than Tappara. The Turku side remain in 11th following successive losses.[/p][embed guid="2444bdd2-fd95-4a2b-baf9-c3e28ccffb47" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2026713466237567103" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Remaining in third and just one point behind the top two are KooKoo, who returned to winning ways but made hard work of it away at lowly [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vaasan-sport/Qqy8aCTd/"]Vaasan Sport[/a] before coming from behind to win [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kookoo-ljjApDE3/vaasan-sport-Qqy8aCTd/?mid=0KEOFq6e"]4-3[/a].[/b][/p][p]Sport were on course for a first win since 17th January and just a second win all year when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/timonen-samuel/lrtxBFT7/"]Samuel Timonen[/a] put them 3-1 up 16 minutes into the second period, after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/harkimo-dan/ptMvbxQs/"]Dan Harkimo[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hult-oliver/UFl5BpDU/"]Oliver Hult[/a] had twice but them ahead either side of a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sulku-santeri/tYByju4a/"]Santeri Sulku[/a] equaliser.[/p][p]But after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siikonen-miska/Ue7NilOn/"]Miska Siikonen[/a] pulled one back late in the second, [b]Vaasa hearts were broken in period three, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/meskanen-ville/xKmHxIvN/"]Ville Meskanen[/a] levelled things up on a powerplay in the ninth minute, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/valkeejarvi-samuel/OY0vfm58/"]Samuel Valkeejarvi[/a] completed the turnaround just seconds later.[/b][/p][p]It's now 13 defeats in a row for the hosts, who have taken just one point from the last 12 of those, as KooKoo move on to five wins in their last six.[/p][embed guid="efd92659-13a2-4764-8ab1-4c642bb366bb" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKTPgny5dM" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]Two powerplay goals from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saarela-antti/WCHKQksm/"]Antti Saarela[/a] were enough for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jukurit/vmuCbWr3/"]Jukurit[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jukurit-vmuCbWr3/lukko-hdqQJQgc/?mid=8MZqNRDL"]2-1[/a][/b] at home and record a second win in succession. Jukurit are only a place above Sport following one win in three, but the two are separated by 20 points.[/p][p]Lukko have moved back into fourth in the standings following that win, coupled with [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a] seeing their three-match run come to an end with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/pelicans-nJrUIp93/?mid=S6GGH5yq"]2-1[/a] defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a][/b], who remain in 10th but have now put eight points between themselves and those outside the playoff places.[/p][p]The Lynx have dropped two places to sixth having also been overtaken by [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a], for whom [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salminen-oskari/IoLse2no/"]Oskari Salminen[/a] made 25 saves to complete a shutout in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jyp-YVjXBEzi/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/?mid=M5yxPmq9"]2-0[/a] success over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a][/b], who remain safely in mid-table despite three losses in four.[/p][p]Friday sees Tappara take on seventh-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] with only eight points between the current leaders and reigning champions.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow every step of the Liiga season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]