UFA (Interstat) — Mikhail Berdin made 34 saves and Sibir Novosibirsk beat Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4-2 on Friday in a Kontinental Hockey League game at Ufa Arena in Ufa, Russia. Attendance was 8,522. Sibir improved to 3-8. Salavat Yulaev dropped to 6-5. The game was the first meeting of the season between the clubs. Berdin was named the top star for Sibir.

Alexander Pershakov opened the scoring at 7:54 of the first period for Sibir. It was his first goal of the season. The Sibir forward added one shot on goal and one hit. Sibir then went shorthanded at 15:15 when Sergei Popov received a minor penalty for high sticking. Berdin made saves during the penalty kill, and Sibir took a one-goal lead into the second period.

Salavat Yulaev tied the game at 31:43 of the second period when Alexander Zharovsky scored his second goal of the season. Matthew Maggio and Maxim Zagrebin assisted on the goal. Zagrebin’s assist was his fourth of the season, and Maggio’s was his first. Sibir answered at 38:44 when Alexander Yaremchuk scored his third goal, with Stepan Nikulin assisting. Nikulin’s assist was his fifth. Sibir regained the lead. Yegor Alanov received a holding penalty at 39:51, giving Salavat Yulaev a late power play in the period. Sibir’s defense held, and Berdin kept the lead intact.

Salavat Yulaev tied it again at 41:49 of the third period on Yaroslav Tsulygin’s third goal of the season. Dean Stewart and Zharovsky assisted. Stewart’s assist was his second of the season, and Zharovsky’s was his sixth. Sibir went back in front at 47:12 when Semyon Koshelev scored his second goal. Yegor Korshkov and Arkhip Nekolenko assisted. Korshkov’s assist was his third, and Nekolenko’s was his first. Pavel Tyutnev was sent off for elbowing at 51:50. Darren Dietz sealed the victory with his fourth goal at 59:32. Berdin finished with 34 saves on 36 shots.

The 6-foot-2, 183-pound Berdin was the top star for Sibir. He had stopped 32 of 34 shots against Ak Bars Kazan and 24 of 25 at HC Sochi in his two previous appearances. Nekolenko, a 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward, had one assist, three shots and one hit. Dietz, a 6-foot-0, 201-pound defenseman, scored on two shots. Yaremchuk, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward, had one goal, four shots and one hit. Koshelev, a 6-foot-0, 179-pound forward, scored and added three shots and one hit. Pershakov scored and had one shot and one hit. Korshkov, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound forward, recorded one assist, two shots and three hits. Nikulin had one assist, one shot and two hits. For Salavat Yulaev, Zharovsky finished with one goal and one assist to go with three shots. Zagrebin, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound forward, had one assist and three shots. Maggio and Stewart also registered assists.

Sibir’s victory came after a difficult stretch. The team had dropped recent games to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Ak Bars Kazan, though it had also beaten HC Sochi and Amur Khabarovsk. The win snapped a two-game losing streak. Salavat Yulaev had won three of its previous five games before Friday. The club’s recent wins included victories over Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Dynamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Sibir next plays at Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Salavat Yulaev visits CSKA Moscow. The teams are scheduled to meet again later in the season. Sibir was whistled for three minor penalties. Salavat Yulaev was not assessed a penalty. Neither team scored on the power play.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Salavat Yulaev 2, Sibir 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Salavat Yulaev a 70.6 percent probability to win before the game.