NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia (Interstat) — In a result that defied pregame projections, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk secured a 3-1 road victory over Sibir Novosibirsk in Kontinental Hockey League action Saturday at Ice Sports Palace Sibir.

The win, powered by a two-goal performance from forward Andrei Al. Belozyorov and a 38-save outing by goaltender Yaroslav Ozolin, improved Neftekhimik’s season record to 25 wins and 23 losses across all competitions. Sibir’s struggles continued, falling to 18-29.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-2 win for the home team, with its ELO system giving Neftekhimik only a slight 50.30 percent probability to win. The visitors controlled play for long stretches to beat those odds.

Neftekhimik opened the scoring late in the first period. At the 17:41 mark, forward Evgeny Mityakin netted his 15th goal of the season, assisted by Damir Zhafyarov and defenseman Fyodor Kroshchinsky.

The game’s only penalties occurred simultaneously midway through the second period. At 15:36 of the frame, Sibir’s Andy Andreoff and Neftekhimik’s Dinar Khafizullin were sent off for roughing, resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4 play.

Neftekhimik extended its lead before the second intermission. Belozyorov scored his 22nd goal at 18:23, with assists from Maxim S. Fedotov and Nikita Khoruzhev, giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage heading into the final period.

Belozyorov sealed the victory with his second of the night, an empty-net goal at 19:41 of the third period for his 23rd tally. Zhafyarov collected his second assist of the game on the play, alongside Artyom Serikov.

Sibir avoided the shutout with a late goal from Semyon Koshelev, who scored with 1:48 remaining. Assists went to Mikhail B. Abramov and Valentin Pyanov. The home team could not muster another threat against Ozolin, who was the backbone of the win, turning aside 39 shots.

Defensively, Neftekhimik was anchored by a physical blue-line corps. Luka Profaca delivered a game-high five hits, while Ilya Pastukhov added two. Kroshchinsky contributed an assist and two hits in the victory.

For Sibir, which defeated Neftekhimik 3-2 in a shootout in the teams’ previous meeting Oct. 12, the loss marks another setback in a difficult season. Defenseman Timur Akhiyarov was credited with the team’s lone hit.

Neftekhimik has now won three consecutive games, following a 1-0 road win at Barys Astana on Thursday and a 2-0 victory at Ak Bars Kazan on Tuesday. The team will look to continue its momentum when it hosts Dynamo Moscow on Wednesday.

Sibir, coming off a 3-2 road win at Severstal Cherepovets on Tuesday, begins a three-game road trip at Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg on Tuesday. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Novosibirsk on Feb. 4.