YEKATERINBURG (Interstat) — Evgeny Alikin made 25 saves Friday for his shutout, and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg scored once in each period to beat Amur Khabarovsk 3-0 in a Kontinental Hockey League game at KRK Uralets in Uralets Arena. A crowd of 8,711 watched Avtomobilist improve to 5-6, while Amur fell to 4-6.

Alexander Sharov opened the scoring at 7:46 of the first period, with assists from Jordan Gross and Alexander Barabanov. The goal gave Avtomobilist a lead it protected the rest of the way. Amur tried to respond in the second period, but a tripping penalty on Alexei Solovyov at 21:18 interrupted the visitors’ rhythm. The goal was Sharov’s second of the season.

Daniel Sprong made it a two-goal game at 38:50 of the second period, finishing with help from Sharov and Barabanov. The strike came late in the middle frame and gave Avtomobilist more room to work. Alikin stayed sharp, stopping every Amur attempt through the first 40 minutes and keeping the home side in front. It was Sprong’s fifth goal of the season.

Jesse Blacker closed the scoring at 53:06 of the third period, with assists from Anton Slepyshev and Nikita Tryamkin. Blacker’s goal capped a steady offensive effort for Avtomobilist, which received production from its forwards and defensemen alike. It was Blacker’s second goal of the season.

Alikin was named Avtomobilist’s top star. He has been busy early this season and entered the game coming off recent starts that included a 34-save win at Spartak Moscow and a 20-save win against Lada Togliatti. Against Amur, he faced 25 shots and turned them all aside, anchoring a penalty kill that held the visitors off the board.

Sharov finished with a goal, an assist and one shot on goal. Sprong scored on one of his three shots. Blacker recorded a goal, two shots and one hit. Barabanov had two assists and one shot. Gross added an assist and three shots. Tryamkin contributed an assist, two shots, one hit and two penalty minutes. Slepyshev had an assist and a hit. Alexander Kadeikin and Artyom Kashtanov each recorded one shot for Avtomobilist.

Amur could not solve Alikin despite stretches of pressure. The visitors took the game’s first penalty when Solovyov was called for tripping at 21:18 of the second period. Avtomobilist later took two third-period penalties, as Tryamkin was whistled for holding at 45:08 and Roman Gorbunov was called for tripping at 46:39. Amur failed to convert with the man advantage and was shut out for the second time in its past six games.

The loss ended a modest run for Amur, which had won two straight before arriving in Yekaterinburg. Amur had beaten Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in its previous two home games, but the club could not carry that momentum on the road. Amur dropped to 4-6.

Avtomobilist, meanwhile, built on a home win over Lada Togliatti in its previous game. The victory gave Avtomobilist consecutive wins and moved the club to 5-6. The home side controlled key moments with timely scoring, disciplined stretches and strong goaltending from Alikin.

Avtomobilist is scheduled to face Amur again at home in its next game. Avtomobilist will then host Avangard Omsk. Amur will remain on the road and is set to visit Traktor Chelyabinsk for two games, followed by a home game against Lada Togliatti. Amur’s upcoming slate also includes home matchups with Spartak Moscow, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Barys Astana and Admiral Vladivostok, plus road games at Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars Kazan.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Avtomobilist 2, Amur 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Avtomobilist with a 72.2 percent probability to win.