A 3-0 win over Vaasan Sport had taken Jukurit to the top, but following that up with a 3-0 defeat not only ended a three-game winning run but sent them down to fourth, while the team who beat them, Ilves, are back up to second despite taking just five points from their last four games.
Erik Borg's goal with seven minutes left in the first period was the only goal of the first 45 minutes, before Luke Henman finally gave Ilves breathing space and with seven minutes left, Jens Looke added a third while the visitors were shorthanded, as Mantas Armalis made 18 saves to earn a shutout in Mikkeli.
That result meant Lukko would go top with a victory at home to TPS Turku, and the hosts made the most of the chance, running out 4-1 winners for their fourth win in a row, while TPS slip to seventh after their own four-match winning run came to an end.
Alex Beaucage set the hosts on their way in the first minute, before Antti Saarela and Felix Robert put them in command in the second period. Anton Olsson added another in period three, making Lars Bryggman's late goal no more than a consolation.
Also overtaking Jukurit and climbing to third are SaiPa, who match Lukko in taking 11 points from their last four matches after a 5-3 victory at Vaasan Sport. Back-to-back defeats keep the home side outside the play-off places on goal difference.
Brian Kramer's penalty gave SaiPa a lead which Nick Zabaneh doubled late in the opening period. Two in two minutes from Petr Fridrich and Mikko Perttu extended the advantage to 4-0, but Sport battled back later in period two with strikes from Oula Pavle and Simon Akerstrom. Aarne Intonen grabbed SaiPa's fifth in the last three minutes to settle the visitors nerves, before Brett Harrison completed the scoring in the final seconds.
Only goal difference prevented Jukurit from dropping out of the top four entirely, as Karpat drew level with them on points with a 5-2 win over KalPa, a fifth loss in six for the Kuopio side. The scores were level after 40 minutes, but Julius Hermonen's strike to hand Karpat the lead proved crucial, as the hosts later added two empty-net goals.
That defeat coupled with events in Espoo saw KalPa drop into the bottom three, as IFK Helsinki climbed out with a 3-0 win over Kiekko-Espoo, who remain in 10th place. HIFK scored once in each period, but the hero was Hugo Alnefelt, who made 29 saves to keep the hosts at bay.