Liiga roundup: Tappara reach a century as KooKoo keep the pressure on at the top

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] had rediscovered their form with back-to-back wins following three successive defeats at the start of the month, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a]'s inability to string wins together had seen them drop out of the top four.[/p][p]The battle between the two was a heated one right from the off - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sylvegard-emil/raotXp2S/"]Emil Sylvegard[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tyrvainen-antti/tAVgnLum/"]Antti Tyrvainen[/a] were dismissed for fighting after just 17 seconds. Once things cooled, it was clear this game was going to go with the form book.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haapala-henrik/GCsbPPgB/"]Henrik Haapala[/a] broke the deadlock for the Tampere side in the seventh minute, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tanus-kristian/xSsQo1jE/"]Kristian Tanus[/a] doubled the lead on a powerplay just over a minute later, following a trip from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/torgersson-daniel/Kf7ANzU2/"]Daniel Torgersson[/a].[/b][/p][p]That's how things stayed until the final five minutes of period two, when Tappara made full use of another powerplay through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/keskinen-oiva/xMC9phOq/"]Oiva Keskinen[/a] after a cross-check from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bourque-trenton/xpqhrImj/"]Trenton Bourque[/a], before holding by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mattila-julius/l42pRHZh/"]Julius Mattila[/a] allowed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puustinen-juuso/8Gu2A8Yq/"]Juuso Puustinen[/a] to give JYP hope with eight seconds to play.[/p][p]But the visitors failed to generate a comeback, and after they removed the goaltender late on, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jokipakka-jyrki/vi6SmFM5/"]Jyrki Jokipakka[/a] sealed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jyp-YVjXBEzi/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=Y9vYyUNj"]the 4-1 win[/a] with an empty-netter, [b]only for tempers to flare again in the final minute, as two more players from each side were ejected for fighting.[/b][/p][p]It's four defeats in six now for JYP, who sit in seventh place, 12 points behind Tappara and - more importantly - four points off the top four, albeit with games in hand.[/p][embed guid="5f54120b-e7e1-4ec0-9601-38be832dcf28" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmEjMm0WDqc" social-type="youtube" /][p]The gap between Tappara and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] remains four points, as the second-placed side eventually broke [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/karpat-oulu/fPJxL2x2/"]Karpat[/a]'s resistence to win 4-3 at home.[/p][p]Karpat came into this with confidence following a two-match winning run, and they twice came from behind to equalise in the second period, [b]with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salmela-tuomas/MyLAKwl2/"]Tuomas Salmela[/a] making it 3-3 in the final second of the middle period.[/b][/p][p]The match was heading for overtime, [b]before the Oulu side's hopes were dashed by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/suomi-jimi/lnR8RGW8/"]Jimi Suomi[/a], who scored with 91 seconds of regulation time to play to give the Kuovala team [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/karpat-fPJxL2x2/kookoo-ljjApDE3/?mid=SAC0fxvI"]the win[/a][/b] - their fourth in a row - as they put six points between themselves and the sides outside the top four.[/p][p]Karpat remain in 14th place, having failed to narrow the six-point gap between themselves and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] in 12th.[/p][embed guid="340f88a0-ab85-4993-9afd-dd28b181683e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hM0qKuYGp4" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]Two goals from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gelinas-eric/2FzTVCXC/"]Eric Gelinas[/a] - including one in overtime - gave fourth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] a crucil [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/lukko-hdqQJQgc/?mid=6eOidb95"]3-2[/a] win away at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a][/b], putting two points between themselves and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a], as KE sit safely in ninth.[/p][p]One place but nine points further ahead are [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a], who held off a third-period fightback from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jukurit/vmuCbWr3/"]Jukurit[/a] to register a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/jukurit-vmuCbWr3/?mid=lIMKaXFc"]5-3[/a] win[/b] and snap a four-game losing run. Jukurit remain 15th after two losses in a row.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Review all the latest Liiga results on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]