It took a Liiga-record-breaking 125 minutes to separate Assat and SaiPa in game one, though the first period tonight did little to suggest this match would be any quicker, as neither side broke the deadlock, while SaiPa failed to make use of a powerplay after Aleksi Anttalainen was called for interference.
However, in the third minute of period two, a real scrap for the puck in front of the net resulted in Otsu Ylitalo poking home to put Assat ahead, but the lead had been wiped out before the midpoint of the game, when Otto Kivenmaki beat the goaltender from an almost impossible angle.
That's how things stayed until midway through the third period, when Kivenmaki turned provider, taking the puck behind the net and laying it off for Saku Salminen to give SaiPa the lead.
But for the third time in the playoffs, with all three coming in the third period, Feetu Knihti found the net for Assat, latching onto a pass at the blue line in the final four minutes, the visiting defence parted and the 23-year-old kept his cool to send the sides to overtime again.
The Aces led the shots on target count 9-5 in the first extra period, but neither side found the crucial goal in 20 minutes, meaning after seven periods on Saturday, the sides would be facing a minimum of five this time.
However, tonight's encounter would last a mere 95 minutes 39 seconds, as late in the second overtime period, Eero Klintrup and Juuso Heikkila combined to tee up a free Karri Aho on the right to net the winning goal for SaiPa, who level the series at 1-1 with the 3-2 victory.
Ilves have opened up a two-game lead over KalPa in their quarter-final series after coming from 2-0 down to win 4-3 after overtime. The Lynx were 3-1 winners on opening night of their series, but back on home ice the Kuopio side were hoping for better this time.
That's how things were panning out after Samuli Ratinen was called for interference 17 minutes in, and Jaakko Rissanen scored on the resulting powerplay on just his third appearance since January.
The evening got better for the home side with just over two minutes played in the second period, when Jaakko Lantta set up Filip Westerlund to make it 2-0, but the second half of the periof belonged to Ilves.
With nine minutes to go, Lukas Jasek carried the puck well and picked out Carl Kingberg on the left, and his shot found its way through to make it 2-1. Five minutes later, following a roughing call against Patrick Curry, the Lynx levelled on the powerplay when Matic Torok buried a loose puck.
The Tampere side looked to complete a turnaround in period three, but that went awry after 19 seconds when Luke Henman was called for tripping, and when Lasse Lappalainen's shot was tucked away on the rebound by Cade Borchardt, KalPa had the powerplay goal to restore their advantage.
It didn't seem to be Ilves' night when Erik Borg had a goal disallowed with 14 minutes to play, only for Jasek to grab a second assist 10 minutes from time, setting up Jens Looke to dig out a nice finish under pressure and ensure this one went to overtime too.
The extra period in Kuopio was much shorter than the one in Pori - just 02:35 was on the clock when Torok squared the puck along the blue line for Simon Johansson, who worked a better shooting angle before firing home to put Ilves 2-0 up in the series.
Game three in both series will be played on Saturday 4th April, with the matches hosted in Lappeenranta and Tampere, respectively.