Ice hockey round at Areena on Saturday 30.3. from 4:45 p.m. All three quarterfinal matches start at 5 p.m.
The battle for the semi-final spots of the hockey SM league has become deliciously tight. There is indeed plenty of excitement in the sixth matches of the quarterfinals between Jukurit–Kärpät, HIFK–Pelicans and TPS–Tappara.
The semi-final places are on the line for Tappara, Kärpi and Pelicans, who lead their quarter-final series with 3–2 wins.
On Thursday, Mikkelin Jukurit claimed a valuable away win against Kärpi in Oulu. The wins are only 3–2 for Kärpi when the circus continues in Mikkeli.
– There has been scope and efficiency in Jukur’s attacking game, but I don’t think they have made any massive changes. Top individuals have had successes. Even though the series was 3–0, Jukurei did not give in to the pain, Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen stress.
Kärpät, who suffered from scoring problems in Thursday’s match, lost to Jukurei 2-3. Jukurit watchman Markus Ruusu was in high spirits at Raksila’s puck night.
– The match series can turn in either direction, because the teams are in an equal situation. Maybe it was a bit confusing that Kärpät was in the lead with a 3–0 win. I myself estimate this as a series of six or seven matches, Nättinen reflects.
Jormakka and Anttila in a fierce war of words
Emotions have run high in the match series. Already after the fourth match, a mass fight was about to break out in the rink.
Then, in the final seconds of the game, Jukurien’s number one stick Niko Huuhtanen and Kärpät defender Arttu Paaso were fighting. Jukurien too Lucas Nordsäter and Kärppien Martin Jandus received a jet command from the fight.
After the fights, the Jukurit pilot Olli Jokinen was absolutely furious. Jokinen said the reason was that Kärppien Ville Koivunen and Marko Anttila would have jumped onto the ice to provoke Huuhtas, even though the final buzzer hadn’t sounded yet.
In Thursday’s match, for example, the konkar players, Jukurien Pekka Jormakka and Anttila had a particularly heated exchange of words.
– It amazes me that the experienced players of Kärppie joined in something like this. Jukurien has supported the bulls when they have been losing in the match series. On the other hand, the playoffs include emotions, battle pairs and rumbles. Everything is not necessarily as dramatic as it seems from the outside, Nättinen reminds.
“The desire to show at HIFK now”
Lahti Pelicans already derailed Helsinki IFK, when Pelicans won the first three matches of the match series. HIFK fell into bad mistakes and there was no goalkeeper Roope Taponenka assured.
– HIFK made big personal mistakes in the first three matches. A big factor is that HIFK finally realized to change Niko Hovinen to the finish line. If we look at Hovinen’s statistics from the regular season, someone could have put him in goal already at the start of the playoffs, says Nättinen.
Hovinen has saved with unflinching certainty and celebrated a clean sheet on Thursday, when HIFK celebrated a 3–0 victory in Lahti.
– The Pelicans may not have pain yet, but frustration when they haven’t scored goals. If the Pelicans find their playing level, they will win that one more game. However, the away match on Saturday at HIFK’s home hall is not a terribly easy place to end the series, Nättinen punted.
Even at the beginning of the week, HIFK was attacked everywhere. Hardly anyone could believe in the rise of the people of Helsinki.
– HIFK has gained strength from the fact that through them people were already packing and joking about trips to Levi. After all, this kind of banter somehow spills over inside the team, even if social media isn’t used. HIFK now has the desire to show off, Nättinen believes.
Jukurit and HIFK are trying to make wild league history, because in the best-of-seven series, they have risen from a 0-3 loss position to victory only once. In the spring of 2012, Blues defeated KalPa in the quarterfinals, despite having lost three matches in a row.
TPS gets a huge audience to support it in Turku
TPS and Tappara get to play in Turku in front of a giant audience. Up to 10,000 spectators are expected for the match. Tappara is in the lead with 3–2 wins and has dominated its home matches in Tampere.
– Tappara has won the matches played in Tampere with a goal difference of 13–3. Tappara’s strong starts to the matches have slightly paralyzed TPS. But it’s admirable that TPS just hasn’t broken, Nättinen estimates.
In Turku, TPS has stretched to tasty victories in Tappara.
– Turku has clearly been a really difficult place for Tappara. Now the seats for Saturday’s match in Turku have already been sold out, so the hall is filling up. This smells a bit like a stalemate, Nättinen thinks.
The match series between TPS and Tappara has exceeded expectations.
– Surely only a few believed that TPS and Tappara would play six matches. Now we are very close to the seventh match, when you take into account TPS playing at home, Nättinen predicts.
TPS’s key players have gone up in flames.
– TPS has top individuals who have turned on the flow mode. Markus Nurmi, Viljami Marjala and Lukas Wernblom have carried the team nicely and Philip Lindbergh has given us a chance to win with a goal, Nättinen praises.
Ice hockey round at Areena on Saturday 30.3. from 4:45 p.m. All three quarterfinal matches start at 5 p.m.