- Ilves led 3-0 after 7:51 of play
- Oden 2 goals, Lancaster 2 assists for Ilves
- Kissel with lone Stavanger goal
Ilves Tampere would have been eliminated had they lost this game, but thanks to a quick start and two goals from Joonas Oden, they beat the Stavanger Oilers 4-1 on home ice. Les Lancaster contributed two assists for Ilves.
Ilves took control of the game quickly with three goals in the first eight minutes. They opened the scoring a minute in off the rush, with Oden streaking to the net and Matias Mäntykiv finding him with a perfect cross-ice pass for the tap-in.
Then came two goals just 34 seconds apart. The 2-0 goal came on the powerplay, with Ilves quickly passing the puck around the zone and Joona Ikonen beating a screened Henrik Holm with a wrist shot under the glove. The Stavanger goalie was again screened on the 3-0 goal at 7:51 when Tommi Tikka’s shot from the point beat him over the glove.
With an early three-goal lead, Ilves controlled the play for the rest of the opening period, outshooting Stavanger 12-4. The Oilers did get a powerplay late in the period but weren’t able to generate much on it.
After a passive first 20 minutes, the Oilers came out with a lot more energy to start the second period and started trying to make life difficult for Marek Langhamer which lead to them scoring a goal at 24:03 on the back of some good offensive pressure. The Ilves goalie made a couple of saves in tight but then Dan Kissel put in a loose puck along the ice through a crowd to make it a two-goal game.
A few minutes later, Stavanger had a chance to draw closer on the powerplay but were unable to, despite some good pressure.
Oden’s second of the game halfway through the third period restored Ilves’ three-goal advantage and gave them a bit of breathing room. Carrying the puck down the right wing, he attempted a pass but it was blocked by the stick of Stavanger defenceman Thomas Higson. However, the puck came right back to Oden, who quickly put it in the open near side as Holm had begun sliding to his right.
Overall, a comfortable and solid home win for the Finns who add an important +3 to their name in the Group E standings.