Tappara's season looked to be building steadily with successive shutout wins, but a narrow loss to Lukko has been followed up by a second 4-2 defeat against SaiPa this month. The Lappeenranta side sit third having taken at least one point from all their seven matches so far.
Henrik Haapala got the home side in front, but two from Patrik Siikanen and one from Einar Emanuelsson had SaiPa in control at the end of the first period. A Kasper Simontaival strike late in the second set up a thrilling final 20 minutes, only for Mikko Perttu to settle it with an empty-netter.
With JYP not in action, Jukurit had the chance to reclaim first place, and they took it with a 5-3 win on the road at KooKoo. It's seven wins running for Jukurit, who hit the 20-point mark, two more than JYP but having played three matches more, while it's eight defeats from eigth for KooKoo.
Having lost the early lead, KooKoo came back from 3-1 down to level at 3-3 thanks to Joona Riekkinen and Ossi-Petteri Jaakola, only for Jesper Olofsson and Thomas Olsen to pull Jukurit clear again in the final minutes.
Assat's run of victories was ended by a thumping 5-0 loss to SaiPa last time out, and now it's two defeats in a row for the fourth-placed Pori side, who went down 5-4 after overtime to Hameenlinna, who climbed out of the bottom three with their second win in their last three.
Hameenlinna twice took a two-goal lead, with Anrei Hakulinen scoring a brace, but both times Assat came back to equalise, as Alexandre Doucet and Simon Pinard struck in the final five minutes to force OT. But again it was HPK who went in front, as Miska Kukkonen scored the winner four minutes in.
Hameenlinna were replaced in the bottom three by IFK Helsinki, who were edged out 2-1 by Pelicans who ended a run of four defeats. Lukko sit sixth thanks to a 2-1 win over KalPa which took their winning run to four, as the Kuopio side continue to alternate between a win and loss each match.
Kiekko-Espoo stay a point behind Lukko after returning to winning ways with a 4-1 success over Jokerit, who remain 16th with one win in eight this season. A first win in three has taken Karpat into the top 10, the Oulu side held on for a 2-1 away win at Vaasan Sport, who slip out of the play-off places.
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