Liiga roundup: Lukko beat Ilves to take four-way fight for fourth to final day

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a] began the day in fourth, a point clear of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a] who they beat less than 24 hours earlier, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] were a further two and three points further behind, respectively.[/b][/p][p]Lukko had been beaten in their previous two outings, and their poor form looked set to continue when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyberg-john/4YamAHJq/"]John Nyberg[/a] gave Ilves a third-minute lead, only for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/beaucage-alex/KAed5cE0/"]Alex Beaucage[/a] to level matters in the final minute of the first period.[/p][p]That turned out to be the perfect time to score,[b] as Lukko came out for period two with the momentum and struck again less than two minutes in through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/viitasalo-nuutti/lfLIUko7/"]Nuutti Viitasalo[/a], before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olsson-anton/n3xH0yNI/"]Anton Olsson[/a] struck midway through the game to put the hosts two goals clear.[/b][/p][p]Nyberg and Beaucage returned to centre stage in the third period, but this time the Lynx man was called for hooking, allowing Beaucage to wrap up a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/lukko-hdqQJQgc/?mid=t8ZcW433"]4-1[/a] win on the resulting powerplay, ending Ilves' four-game winning streak.[/p][embed guid="4b0335bd-ee1b-4d44-9bee-b4d54b781540" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2032855992040329655" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]KalPa knew they needed to get at least something from their home game with JYP, and they did so in style, winning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jyp-YVjXBEzi/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=Eeb3ANtp"]6-3[/a] to ensure there is only one point between the four teams ahead of Round 60.[/b][/p][p]Looking to snap a two-game losing run, JYP made the better start when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jormakka-pekka/WOZIDI2O/"]Pekka Jormakka[/a] gave them a seventh-minute lead, only for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyman-linus/hUlRkqAn/"]Linus Nyman[/a] to cancel it out two minutes later. The decisive third goal came early in the second period, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ruotsalainen-ville/CSBis6gn/"]Ville Ruotsalainen[/a] scored shorthanded to put KalPa in front. [/p][p]That was the beginning of a near-perfect 20 minutes for the hosts,[b] as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puustinen-juuso/8Gu2A8Yq/"]Juuso Koronen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/westerlund-filip/nkFgJt7d/"]Filip Westerlund[/a] scored either side of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/huovila-santeri/zZ0UHYjI/"]Santeri Huovila[/a] pulling one back for JYP, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lantta-jaakko/WApzRxEL/"]Jaakko Lantta[/a] added a second shorthander with only one second to play.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vidgren-aaro/j7cNGauf/"]Aaro Vidgren[/a] kept the visitors in it early in the third, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kapanen-konsta/Yq9ApiFh/"]Konsta Kapanen[/a] ended the match as a contest in the final two minutes. It's four wins in five now for the Kuopio side, as they overtake JYP in the standings.[/p][p][b]Those two results mean Ilves remain in fourth place but only on goal difference ahead of Lukko, while KalPa and JYP are one point back, with the title holders in seventh with more wins in regulation.[/b][/p][embed guid="1a502ed9-dcd9-4b16-a251-ab9d6bea0614" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2032860644253298935" social-type="twitter" /][p]In the bottom half of the table, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a] missed the chance to secure the 12th and final playoff place as they were beaten by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] for the second time in as many days, as the Lahti side won [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hameenlinna-zV5a4drH/pelicans-nJrUIp93/?mid=CUxNUiSb"]4-1[/a][/b] on the road, adding to a shootout win on Friday for a third successive win.[/p][p]It's three defeats in a row in contrast for HPK, [b]but they remain in 12th and two points clear of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps-turku/Wd5rVrgM/"]TPS Turku[/a], as they lost [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/tps-turku-Wd5rVrgM/?mid=AmRESM2S"]5-2[/a] at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a][/b], also going down to the same opponents on successive days. [/p][p]Pelicans remain in 11th as [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-helsinki/Ige43GcN/"]IFK Helsinki[/a] continued their brilliant form, scoring five times in the final 20 minutes to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/karpat-oulu/fPJxL2x2/"]Karpat[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ifk-helsinki-Ige43GcN/karpat-fPJxL2x2/?mid=zBnC81Bd"]5-4[/a] on the road.[/b][/p][p]With the regular season title already secured, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] falling to a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=xzT6UrYF"]6-4[/a] defeat away at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a][/b] was perhaps their least damaging defeat of the campaign. The Lappeenranta side remain in third, [b]as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] swept [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jukurit/vmuCbWr3/"]Jukurit[/a] aside, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jukurit-vmuCbWr3/kookoo-ljjApDE3/?mid=8dWVSVdB"]7-3[/a][/b], cutting Tappara's unassailable lead to four points.[/p][p][b]All 16 sides will be in action on the final day, with all eight matches starting at 17:30 CET.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the final day of the Liiga regular season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]