Tappara had put an end to their three-match losing run against Ilves in the derby the night before, but a trip to Lukko was going to be another tough test, and so it proved, as Eric Gelinas broke the deadlock for the home side after 15 minutes.
However, from the halfway point of the match when Kasper Simontaival equalised, it was one-way traffic for the Tampere side, who took the lead three minutes into period three, through Oiva Keskinen.
Benjamin Rautiainen put daylight between the sides with nine minutes to play, before Lukko left their net empty, and Eetu Tuulola ensured it was back-to-back 4-1 wins for Tappara with five seconds left, and the end of a six-game winning run for Lukko.
Lukko have slipped to fourth place, but were saved from dropping out of the top four entirely thanks to Karpat, who picked up an unlikely first win in four at home to KalPa, whose five-match winning run came to an abrupt halt.
An upset looked on the cards when Kasper Soini gave Karpat the lead in the first minute before Konsta Kapanen had a goal disallowed late in the opening period. Sensing a chance, the Oulu side doubled their lead with six minutes left in the second, through Matyas Kantner.
Tim Soderlund got KalPa on the board soon after, but Karpat held their nerve, as Eemil Erholtz took advantage of a powerplay, before a scoreless third period allowed them to close out a 3-1 victory that sees them climb a place to 14th.
Returning to the top four at the Kuopio side's expense are SaiPa, who nearly threw away a 4-0 lead at home to IFK Helsinki, before an empty-netter in the last minute wrapped up a 5-3 win. It's four wins in a row for SaiPa, and three straight defeats for HIFK, who slip to 11th.
The Lappeenranta side sit third, a point shy of KooKoo, who scored four unanswered goals to cruise to 4-2 victory away at Hameenlinna. KooKoo have put together a timely three-match winning streak, while as many losses in succession sees Hameenlinna lose further ground on the top 12.
The gap between them and the last Playoff place is now seven points, as Pelicans fell to a 3-2 overtime loss at JYP. Jere Lassila scored the winner just 10 seconds into OT, but JYP remain in sixth place but now only two points outside the top four.
Only a point further back are Ilves, who put their derby defeat behind them as two Peter Quenneville strikes helped them to a 6-2 win over Jukurit, who slip to second-bottom, though they are 17 points clear of Vaasan Sport, who were beaten 4-1 by TPS Turku, who are on a three-game winning run.
Finally, a mid-table meeting went firmly the way of ninth-placed Kiekko-Espoo, who strolled to a 4-1 win over eighth-placed Assat, who have now lost three straight, but are still eight points clear of their victors. For KE, it's four wins and an overtime loss in their last five.
