CHEREPOVETS, Russia (Interstat) — In a decisive road victory, Spartak Moscow delivered a commanding performance to defeat Severstal Cherepovets 5-1 in a Kontinental Hockey League matchup Monday at Ice Palace.

The win, fueled by a dominant first period and a stellar 39-save performance from goaltender Artyom Zagidulin, improved Spartak’s record to 28 wins and 23 losses. Severstal, which entered the game with the superior record at 33-20, was handed a rare lopsided loss on home ice, a result that defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-3 Severstal victory, with its ELO system giving the home team a 52.7 percent probability to win.

Spartak established control early, striking three times in the opening frame. Nikita Korostelyov opened the scoring at the 5:08 mark, assisted by Andrei A. Mironov and Brandon Biro. Defenseman Joseph Keane doubled the lead at 11:51, with Biro collecting his second assist of the period. Danil Pivchulin then made it 3-0 with just over two minutes remaining in the first, finishing a play set up by Lucas Lockhart and Artemy Knyazev.

The visitors extended their lead in the second period. At 23:03, Mironov took a roughing penalty, but it was Spartak that capitalized shorthanded. Brandon Biro netted his first goal of the game, a key shorthanded marker assisted by Lockhart, to push the lead to 4-0.

Severstal finally solved Zagidulin late in the second period. Defenseman Nikolai Burenov scored his first goal of the season at 36:53, with assists from Nikita Kamalov and Nikolai Chebykin, to break the shutout bid and cut the deficit to 4-1.

Any momentum for the home team was quickly stifled in the third period. German Rubtsov restored Spartak’s four-goal cushion at 51:09, scoring from Daniil Gutik and Mikhail Maltsev to seal the 5-1 final. The period featured a flurry of penalties, including matching roughing minors to Severstal’s Ilya Ivantsov and Spartak’s Mironov—his third minor penalty of the game—at 57:55.

Zagidulin’s work in net was foundational to the victory, turning aside 39 of 40 shots. Offensively, Spartak was led by multi-point efforts from Brandon Biro, who finished with a goal and two assists, and Lucas Lockhart, who contributed two assists. Joseph Keane’s goal and active play were also pivotal.

For Severstal, Nikolai Burenov’s goal and a seven-shot performance from Nikita Kamalov provided limited bright spots in a game where they were consistently outplayed.

The victory marked Spartak’s second consecutive win over Severstal this season, following a 2-1 road win on Jan. 6, and avenged a 4-3 home loss to Severstal on Nov. 14. Spartak has now won three of its last four games.

Spartak next travels to face Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on Wednesday. Severstal continues its homestand, hosting SKA Saint Petersburg on Thursday.