Ilves Tries to Tie Tampere Derby in Final Regular-Season Game

Aamulehti reports that Ilves meets Tappara in the final Tampere derby of the regular season today, with Ilves able to pull even on both wins and points by winning. The two teams have split this season's meetings so far, with Ilves taking the first two and Tappara winning the last three; Tappara leads the derby race 9-6 in points. If Ilves wins, the series would be tied at 3-3 in wins and 9-9 in points, making the match pivotal for Tampere supremacy. The paper notes that Ilves has controlled local clashes in recent years, while Tappara's last full set of derby wins came in 2017–18 when it swept all six meetings. Since then, Ilves has generally earned more league points from head-to-head games, aside from the 2018–19 season when the teams split 3–3 in wins but Tappara led 10–8 in points.