KHABAROVSK (Interstat) — Amur Khabarovsk edged visiting Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1-0 in a Kontinental Hockey League game on Tuesday at Platinum Arena. The victory improved Amur’s season record to 4 wins and 5 losses, while Neftekhimik dropped to 7 wins and 4 losses. An announced crowd of 7,100 attended the game at Platinum Arena.

Amur scored the game’s only goal in the second period. Kirill Pilipenko scored his third goal of the season, with Vitaly Abramov and Raul Akmaldinov picking up assists. Maxim Dorozhko stopped all 23 shots he faced to earn the win, and he was named the game’s top star for Amur. Neftekhimik was shut out and could not find an equalizer.

Dorozhko, a 6-foot-2, 209-pound goaltender, made 23 saves on 23 shots. His recent performances included a 28-save win against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a 31-save loss to CSKA Moscow and a 32-save shutout against Dynamo Moscow. Against Neftekhimik, he recorded another perfect outing with 23 saves.

Pilipenko, a 5-foot-9, 183-pound forward, finished with one goal and two shots on goal. Abramov, a 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward, had one assist and four shots on goal. Akmaldinov, a defenseman, added one assist and one shot on goal. Alexei Kruchinin, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward, recorded one shot on goal and two penalty minutes.

Kirill Petkov, a 5-foot-10, 214-pound forward, put four shots on goal. Kirill Urakov, a 6-foot, 187-pound forward, also had four shots on goal. Yegor Voronkov, a 6-foot, 187-pound defenseman, contributed two shots on goal and one hit. For Neftekhimik, Sevastyan Sokolov had two shots on goal and one hit. Evgeny Mityakin, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound forward, was held without a shot.

The first penalty came at 29:49 of the second period, when Amur’s Alexei Kruchinin was sent off for tripping. Neftekhimik’s Nikita Khlystov followed at 33:19 with a kneeing penalty. Amur then scored the game’s only goal in the second period, with Pilipenko finishing. In the third period, Amur’s Artyom Shvaryov was called for interference at 54:32, and Fyodor Khrapov received a tripping penalty at 59:31. The penalties did not produce any additional scoring.

The first period ended scoreless. Amur held a 1-0 lead after two periods. The third period produced no goals, and Dorozhko preserved the shutout. Neftekhimik could not score in the final period. Neftekhimik finished with no goals on the night. The shutout was Amur’s second of the season.

Amur entered the game after a 3-1 home victory over Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Before that, Amur lost to CSKA Moscow 2-0, lost to Severstal Cherepovets 4-1, beat Dynamo Moscow 4-0, won at Barys Astana 3-1, lost at Sibir Novosibirsk 2-0, lost at Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2-1 in overtime and lost at Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4-2.

Neftekhimik had won its previous two games, including a 5-3 win at Admiral Vladivostok and a 6-3 win at Barys Astana. Earlier, Neftekhimik beat Lada Togliatti 7-3, lost at Metallurg Magnitogorsk 6-2, lost at Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2-0, won at Sibir Novosibirsk 3-0, beat Admiral Vladivostok 2-1, beat Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3-1, beat HC Sochi 5-1 and lost to Shanghai Dragons 5-4 in overtime. The loss was Neftekhimik’s fourth of the season. The win was Amur’s fourth.

Neftekhimik next hosts Barys Astana. Amur next visits Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Neftekhimik will also host Sibir Novosibirsk, Avangard Omsk, Traktor Chelyabinsk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Admiral Vladivostok, and it will visit Salavat Yulaev Ufa, CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Avangard Omsk. Amur will visit Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg twice, Traktor Chelyabinsk twice and Dynamo Moscow, and it will host Lada Togliatti, Spartak Moscow, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Barys Astana and Admiral Vladivostok.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Neftekhimik 3, Amur 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Neftekhimik with a 57.1 percent probability to win.