CHELYABINSK, Russia (Interstat) — Grigory Dronov scored the game-winning goal late in the third period Friday night, lifting Traktor Chelyabinsk to a 3-2 victory over Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in a Kontinental Hockey League match at Traktor Sport Palace.

The defenseman’s first goal of the season, a blast from the point at 44:03 of the final frame, broke a 2-2 deadlock and secured the win for the home side. The play was set up by Andrei Svetlakov, who recorded his second assist of the night, and Joshua Leivo, who finished with a goal and an assist.

The result improved Traktor’s record to 4-2-0, while Neftekhimik fell to an even 3-3-0. The outcome mirrored both the teams’ previous meeting on Sept. 9, a 4-3 Traktor victory, and the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 3-2 Traktor win and gave the club a 76.8% chance of victory.

Goaltender Chris Driedger was a cornerstone of the win for Traktor, turning aside 21 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his first victory of the campaign. His counterpart, Filipp Dolganov of Neftekhimik, was stellar in a losing effort, making 26 saves on 29 shots to keep his team within reach.

The game opened with a quick offensive exchange. Neftekhimik struck first at the 4:25 mark of the first period when Evgeny Mityakin netted his third goal of the season, with assists from Danil Yurtaikin and Jean-Sebastien Dea.

Traktor responded just over three minutes later. Alexander Kadeikin evened the score with his second goal of the year, an unassisted effort at 7:31.

Traktor took its first lead of the night early in the second period. Leivo scored his second goal of the season at 24:02, converting a feed from Svetlakov to make it 2-1.

Neftekhimik answered midway through the period to knot the score again. Matvei Nadvorny netted his second goal of the year at 32:37, setting the stage for the third-period drama and Dronov’s decisive goal.

The game was a disciplined affair for long stretches, though Traktor was penalized twice in the first period, including a too many men on the ice bench minor. Neftekhimik’s discipline broke down in the final minutes, taking two penalties in the last 4:22, which hampered any chance of a last-minute equalizer.

The victory extends Traktor’s winning streak to three games, following recent shutout and overtime victories. Neftekhimik, which had won its previous three contests, sees its streak snapped.

Traktor looks to continue its momentum Sunday when it hosts Spartak Moscow. Neftekhimik continues its road trip Sunday with a game against Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.