MOSCOW (Interstat) — In a high-scoring Kontinental Hockey League contest defined by special teams and a dominant performance from defenseman Joseph Keane, Spartak Moscow overcame an early deficit to defeat HC Sochi five goals to three on Sunday at Luzhniki Minor Arena.

The game, a rematch of a Sept. 7 matchup that also ended in a Spartak victory, saw the home side improve its record across all competitions to 10 wins and nine losses. Sochi’s struggles continued, dropping its record to four wins and 12 losses on the season.

Sochi opened the scoring early in the first period. At the 6:17 mark, Denis Vengryzhanovsky netted his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Rafael Bikmullin and Nikolai Polyakov. The visitors’ momentum was temporarily stifled by penalties to Sergei Popov and Noel Hoefenmayer, but their penalty kill held firm.

Spartak’s offense ignited late in the first period, erasing Sochi’s lead in a span of just over a minute. Nathan Todd scored his sixth of the season at 13:19, with Keane and Mikhail Maltsev recording the assists. Just over a minute later, Danil Pivchulin tied the game with his second goal, assisted by Alexander Belyayev and Daniel Usmanov.

Sochi reclaimed the lead before the first intermission, however, as Mikhail Orlov scored an unassisted goal with just 16 seconds remaining in the period.

The second period belonged to Spartak and its power play unit. After killing a penalty to Keane for cross-checking, Spartak took the lead with two quick goals. Lucas Lockhart scored at 24:34, with Keane picking up his second assist of the night. Just over five minutes later, Mikhail Maltsev gave Spartak its first lead of the game, with Lockhart and Keane, who notched his third helper, providing the assists.

Sochi answered back before the period ended, capitalizing on a holding penalty to Spartak’s Christian Jaros. With the man advantage, Rafael Bikmullin scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Daniil Seroukh and Cameron Lee, to tie the game at three heading into the final frame.

The third period was a penalty-filled affair, with four infractions called, three of them against Sochi. It was a Spartak power play that ultimately decided the game. With Sochi’s Hoefenmayer in the box for interference, Nathan Todd scored his second goal of the game and seventh of the season at 47:45. Keane and Maltsev assisted on the game-winning goal, giving Keane his fourth assist of the contest.

Spartak sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minutes to bring the final score to five goals for Spartak and three for Sochi. The result closely mirrored the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a Spartak victory. The ELO system had given Spartak an 81.40 percent probability to win.

The game was a showcase for Spartak’s defensive corps, led by Keane, whose four-assist night drove the offense from the blue line. The team successfully navigated several penalties, including two to Jaros, to secure the win.

Sochi, mired in a difficult season, has now lost three straight games and six of its last seven. The team will look to rebound on the road against Dinamo Minsk on Tuesday. Spartak, now above .500, will prepare for a marquee matchup against CSKA Moscow, also on Tuesday. The two rivals will meet again in a home-and-home series beginning in Sochi on Nov. 2.