Finland's other representatives Tappara and KooKoo both fell to first-leg defeats at the hands of German opposition the previous evening, and having finished 13th in the regular season, SaiPa would need an upturn in form against fifth-placed Pardubice if they were to salvage some Finnish pride.
The home side didn't get off to a good start, when they conceded the first powerplay of the match in the sixth minute and Pardubice made full use of it just over a minute later through Tomas Nosek's strike.
However, that acted as something as a wake-up call for SaiPa, who levelled two minutes later through Miikka Salomaki, before Juuso Heikkila put them ahead just past the midpoint of the period.
But the hosts were unable to kick on in the second period, allowing Matej Stransky to level the scores nine minutes in before tempers flared in the final minute, as Mikko Perttu and Jakub Lauko were dismissed for fighting when both teams already had a man each in the penalty box.
And it was Pardubice who came out for the third period with cool heads, and four minutes later they retook the lead when John Ludvig got his second assist of the night by setting up Miguel Tourigny. In a much more disciplined final period, SaiPa were unable to make the most of their only powerplay chance, and the Czech side held on for a 3-2 victory to take into the second leg.