In addition to taking a forced win, HIFK should defeat their special Tampere scare on Monday. Returning Juha Jääskä approached the challenge through opportunities.
Juha Jääskä finally returned to the rink. Elmeri Elo / AOP
There is no point in the fact that the semifinal series between Tappara and HIFK seems to be over after four matches played.
HIFK clearly improved on Good Friday from the seeding of the previous match, but despite this, Tappara was again better with a score of 5–2, just like on Wednesday.
– It wasn’t even close to winning here either. Fortunately, there is one more chance on Monday, he is back in the HIFK lineup Juha Jääskä crystallized.
Now HIFK should win three matches in a row against the convincingly playing Tappara. Based on the game events of the last two matches, the probability of this is calculated in per thousand.
– Everything is possible. We know from the last series how difficult it is to finish, Jääskä referred to the quarter-final against Lukko.
– Now we focus on winning the next match and then we go to Nordis. That’s where we’re strong.
Tampere horror
Tampere is a troll for HIFK. Mika Kylmäniemi/AOP
HIFK’s first must-win spot is ahead on Monday, when due to a different match schedule, they will play again in Tampere.
The challenge is not made easier by the fact that Nokia Arena has become quite a mess for HIFK. It has not yet beaten either club from Tampere in Finland’s prettiest hall.
The last time HIFK won in Tampere was in October 2021, when the game was still played in Hakametsä. The most recent loss was the eighth in Nokia Arena.
– Of course, we haven’t been at our best here. But as I said, everything will be different when we win the next game here, Jääskä commented on the arena balance.
– Yes, it feels good when we get that first win here!
Relief from gaming
Tappara fanned the victory on Friday. Niko Ojamäki, who scored the opening goal, is pictured. Mika Kylmäniemi/AOP
Jääskä, who is one of HIFK’s key players, played the last time more than two weeks ago, and he typically did not reveal the reason for his absence in more detail for the playoffs.
Maybe you can read something between the lines.
– Once again, I was afraid that the season would end at the bottom of the couch. It was rough.
Despite the loss, Jääskä was clearly very happy that he now got to play playoff hockey.
– Playing at least one hima match is a big motivator. I’d rather play one player match than 30 regular season matches, the forward said.