A draw with Gnistan following successive defeats for KuPS had thrown the title race wide open, and only a loss for Inter Turku in the previous round had allowed the Kuopio side to stay top of the pile.
And when the current champions welcomed the record champions, the match didn't live up to the billing, as Petteri Pennanen managed the only shot on goal of the first half, before Till Cissokho and Alfie Cicale both forced Johannes Kreidl into routine stops after the break.
Liam Moller was unable to find the target for the visitors when the best chance of the game fell his way, then Joslyn Luyeye-Lutumba was unable to beat Jesse Ost with a late chance for the home side, and the game ended goalless, taking KuPS three points clear of Inter Turku before they welcome VPS on Monday 14th.
HJK see their two-game winning run come to an end, and they stay in third place, four points behind the leaders.