Liiga delivers mind-blowing drama again – three things you need to know from the first week of the playoffs

Here we go again. It's the best time of spring, as the SM-liiga drops the gloves and gives us its absolute best. The first round of the playoffs has only just begun, but the action is already delivering everything we love about this sport. Just over this weekend alone, we've seen overtime thrillers, upsets, and those heroes no one had heard of last week.

HIFK's strike in Kuopio: "Now the series really begins"

There were no easy nights in Kuopio on Saturday. KalPa took the opening win with a convincing score, and many probably thought the Kuopio side would steamroll their way to the next round. But that would have been too easy. After Friday's loss, HIFK marched into the Kuopio ice hall and showed their true character. A 4–1 away victory, with Tony Sund and Petteri Lindbohm both scoring their first-ever playoff goals. And that's not all: Vincent Marleau bagged two goals, the last one into an empty net to seal the night.

This series is now in a fantastic spot, with both teams having shown their mettle. HIFK's win wasn't a fluke; it was a display of cold-blooded hard work. And with three wins needed to advance, we're only just taking off.

Kiekko-Espoo and Ässät – the never-ending overtime saga

If you love a bit of suffering, you're following the battle between Kiekko-Espoo and Ässät. We saw overtime on Friday, and then again on Saturday. Iikka Kangasniemi put the Espoo side ahead with a powerplay goal, but then Sakari Kostilainen – in his very first playoff game, mind you – answered with his own powerplay goal to force extra time. That's the very essence of drama. These two have clearly locked horns, and neither is willing to give an inch without a fight.

I'll say it straight: we might see a few more overtime periods in this series before it's all said and done.

HPK's shutout and other hot topics

There were celebrations in Hämeenlinna on Saturday as HPK blanked Lukko with a polished 2–0 win. Sami Päivärinta's goal off his skate after a video review? You bet. That's old-school audacity right there. Cameron Wright then finished into an empty net with two seconds left on the clock. Lukko really need to figure out how to break down this wall.

And as for other leagues – well, the Champions League, EFL Cup, and Europa League can wait. All eyes are on the domestic rinks right now, because the SM-liiga playoffs are the best entertainment this country has to offer.

So, here's the rundown of this weekend's key takeaways:

• Drama across the series: HIFK and KalPa are locked at 1–1, Kiekko-Espoo and Ässät are stuck in an overtime spiral, and HPK and Lukko are level.
• New heroes emerge: Lindbohm, Sund, Mononen, and Kostilainen – all scored their first-ever playoff goals. The next generation is making its mark.
• The overtime saga continues: Kiekko-Espoo and Ässät have shown that neither will give up until the other is on ice.

That's Finnish hockey spring in a nutshell. No fancy words, just pure action. And watching these opening rounds, you can only say one thing: this is shaping up to be a long and bloody spring. Grab a hot chocolate and keep the remote close – this is only the beginning.