NIZHNEKAMSK, Russia (Interstat) — Sibir Novosibirsk goaltender Anton Krasotkin turned aside 34 shots and Yegor Alanov assisted on two goals as Sibir edged Neftekhimik 3-2 in a shootout Sunday in a Kontinental Hockey League matchup at SCC Arena.

The victory, secured after the five-minute overtime period solved nothing, improved Sibir’s record across all competitions to 6-7. Neftekhimik fell to 7-8 with the hard-fought loss.

Sibir opened the scoring early in the first period. Just over five minutes into the game, Arkhip Nekolenko netted his second goal of the season, with Alanov registering the primary assist.

The visitors doubled their lead in the second period. Vladimir Butuzov scored his first goal of the campaign at the 34:16 mark, with Alanov earning his second helper of the night and Nikita Soshnikov also picking up an assist.

Neftekhimik mounted a comeback in the third period, erasing the two-goal deficit. Matvei Nadvorny sparked the rally with his fourth goal of the season at 42:25, assisted by Danila Kvartalnov and Arsen Khisamutdinov.

The home team completed the comeback less than nine minutes later. Andrei Al. Belozyorov scored his fifth goal, tying the game with assists from Luka Profaca and Nikita Khlystov, who finished the game with an assist and four shots on goal.

Neither team could find a winner before the end of regulation or in the overtime frame, forcing a shootout. Sibir ultimately prevailed in the penalty-shot contest.

Krasotkin’s 34-save performance was pivotal for Sibir, as he faced 36 shots from Neftekhimik. The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 3-2 victory for Neftekhimik. The same service’s ELO system, however, had given Sibir a slight edge with a 50.10 percent probability to win.

For Sibir, the win provides a positive start to a road-heavy stretch of their schedule. They had lost their previous game, a 4-2 decision at Lada Togliatti on Friday. Their next contest is Tuesday at Barys Astana.

Neftekhimik, meanwhile, has now lost three consecutive games, having fallen to Amur Khabarovsk twice last week. They will look to snap the skid Wednesday when they begin a road trip at SKA Saint Petersburg.