IFK Helsinki vs KalPa

The match was played at Elisa Areena in Helsinki's Töölö district with puck drop at 17:00 local time. Exact period-by-period scoring details and goalscorers were not published in available match reports at the time of writing, reflecting the closed nature of this pre-season fixture.

KalPa travelled straight to Helsinki after a 1-0 overtime loss to Ilves in Tampere on Thursday 20 August, where Samuel Jung sustained an injury in the first period. The Kuopio side rotated their lineup across both games as part of their final pre-season preparations.

KalPa's third-period response proved decisive. After a tight opening two periods, the visitors pulled away to a 3-1 victory, demonstrating the depth that makes them a dark horse contender for the 2026-27 Liiga season.

Specific individual statistics from this friendly are not publicly available as Liiga's official game reporting system (game ID 2704003) did not publish event-level data for this pre-season fixture. No official player of the match was named.

The KalPa roster featured several experienced players including Jasse Kapanen, Juuso Mäenpää, and goaltender Rasmus Korhonen, who also started against Ilves the night before.

The 1-3 result is consistent with the long-running head-to-head pattern between these clubs. Since 2014, KalPa and HIFK have met 50 times across all competitions, with KalPa holding a narrow 26-24 advantage in wins. Their meetings average 5.06 total goals per game, and both teams have scored in 82% of those encounters. Over 2.5 goals have landed in 92% of the 50 fixtures, and this match followed that trend with four total goals.

This was KalPa's fourth pre-season fixture of the summer. They opened with a win over Jukurit (7 August, Olvi Areena), followed by a trip to Oulu to face Kärpät (13 August), the 1-0 OT loss to Ilves (20 August), and this 3-1 win over HIFK. One more home friendly against JYP remains on 27 August before the Liiga season begins.

KalPa open their 2026-27 Liiga campaign away to K-Espoo on Tuesday 1 September at 18:30. Their home opener is against Jukurit on Friday 4 September.

HIFK's pre-season schedule continues with a friendly against KooKoo on Thursday 27 August (Kouvola, 18:30), before their Liiga opener against HPK at home on Friday 4 September (19:30).

The 2026-27 Liiga season features an expanded 17-team league with each team playing 64 regular-season games — the longest season in the competition's history.

A routine pre-season win for KalPa, who showed sharper match fitness after one more game than HIFK in their build-up. The result itself tells us little about regular-season form — both sides experimented with lineups and rotated players — but KalPa's ability to win on consecutive nights against Liiga opposition is a positive sign for new head coach Mikko Koivu's system.

Match details: IFK Helsinki (HIFK) 1–3 KalPa | Club Friendly (World), Season 2026 | Elisa Areena, Helsinki | Friday 21 August 2026, 17:00 local time | Attendance: not published