Tampereen Ilves edged TPS Turku 3-2 in regulation, and the margin came from a third period that finally broke a tight game open. Neither side scored in the opening 20 minutes, so the night hinged on the back 40.
The first period ended 0-0, with both teams trading pressure but nothing on the board. Each side answered in the second for a 1-1 scoreline after 40 minutes, and Ilves then won the third 2-1 to close it out at 3-2.
The decisive number is the third-period goal differential: 2-1 for the home side, the only period either team won on the scoresheet. With scoring split evenly through two, Ilves needed exactly that one-goal edge in the final frame.