Liiga Playoffs: Tappara Come Back From 2-0 Down to Level Ilves Series

Tappara brush Ilves

  

Tappara scored three times in 18 minutes to beat Ilves 5-1 and tie their Liiga playoff semi-final at 2-2. Game 5 is Saturday in Tampere.

Liiga Playoffs, series tied at 2-2 in Tampere as Tappara cruise past Ilves... 

 

Tappara have come back from 2-0 down to tie their Liiga playoff semi-final series with city rivals Ilves at 2-2 after a 5-1 win at Nokia Arena in Tampere.

A 6-0 loss that put them 2-0 down in the series had the top seeds under real pressure, but Tappara showed their character in Game 3 with a 3-2 win to cut the deficit. Based on their first-period display, that victory was the perfect boost for tonight’s designated visitors.

They went ahead in the third minute when Benjamin Rautiainen won a scramble for the puck at the Ilves blue line and broke in on goal before sliding it across for Joachim Blichfeld to finish first-time.

 

The second came less than six minutes later. A slick reverse pass from Kristian Tanus found Kasper Simontaival, who deked past the defence and slotted it past the goaltender to make it 2-0.

 

Tappara didn’t score at even strength in Games 2 and 3, yet managed it three times in the first 18 minutes tonight. Aapeli Rasanen made it 3-0, getting just enough on Daniel Brickley’s pass to poke it home as bodies and sticks flew around the crease.

After outshooting Ilves 21-5 in the opening period, Tappara found the second far more even. The Lynx couldn’t take advantage though, failing to score on an early power play for slashing against Juuso Nykanen, setting the tone for a scoreless 20 minutes.

That didn’t bother Tappara, who all but sealed the game three minutes into the third. Brickley was the provider again, setting up Joni Tuulola to hammer a one-timer from the blue line that flew into the net.

 

Ilves at least got on the board with just over 12 minutes left when Lukas Jasek and Luke Henman combined on a confident attack before Jens Lööke finished well from the slot.

  

It was too little, too late, but the hosts still pulled the goalie in the final minutes. On a night when little went Ilves’ way, they conceded again as Oiva Keskinen hit the empty net to seal a 5-1 rout.

🚨 Kasper Simontaival nautiskelee @Tapparaofficial:in kaksi edelle! 🤌

📺 @MTVUrheilu | #Liiga pic.twitter.com/ARt8rzF0Gy

— Liiga (@smliiga) April 23, 2026

The series lead is at stake when the two meet in Game 5 on Saturday 25th. A day earlier, SaiPa host KooKoo for Game 4 of their series, with the Kouvola side currently up 2-1.