MOSCOW (Interstat) — Alexander S. Smolin stopped all 23 shots he faced, and Metallurg Magnitogorsk rode a first-period goal by Nikita Mikhailis and a second-period strike by Nikita A. Korotkov to a 2-0 victory over Spartak Moscow on Friday in a Kontinental Hockey League game at Luzhniki Minor Arena in Moscow, Russia. The announced attendance was 7,029.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the visiting team, improved to 9 wins and 3 losses. Spartak Moscow fell to 5 wins and 6 losses. The shutout was Smolin’s latest strong performance in a run of wins. Entering Friday, Smolin had won each of his previous four starts. He made 21 saves on 22 shots at Avangard Omsk, 38 saves on 39 shots against Ak Bars Kazan, 32 saves on 35 shots at Salavat Yulaev Ufa and 23 saves on 25 shots against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Against Spartak, he was perfect, handling 23 shots and helping Metallurg kill off a parade of penalties.

Mikhailis opened the scoring at 12:05 of the first period, giving Metallurg Magnitogorsk a lead it never surrendered. The 5-foot-8, 159-pound forward recorded his fourth goal of the season and finished with one shot on goal. Metallurg’s penalty trouble began soon after. Spartak’s Maxime Comtois and Metallurg’s Danila Palivko received minor penalties for interference at 13:36. Vladislav Provolnev then took tripping minors at 16:28 and 18:38, and Ruslan Iskhakov was called for throwing the puck outside the playing area at the end of the period. Despite the extended time short-handed, Metallurg protected the one-goal edge.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk added insurance in the second period. Korotkov scored at 14:31 of the middle frame, with assists from Yegor Korobkin and Alexander Siryatsky. The 6-foot, 201-pound Korotkov also delivered four hits and put one shot on goal. Nathan Todd led Metallurg with four shots on goal. Siryatsky had an assist and three shots. Korobkin, listed at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, finished with an assist, three shots and one hit.

Spartak Moscow could not solve Smolin. Mikhail Maltsev, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward, had four shots on goal and one hit for the home side, but the Spartak attack was kept to the outside and denied quality chances. Igor Nechayev had one hit for Metallurg. Vladislav Provolnev, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman, recorded two shots and four penalty minutes. Andrei E. Kozlov added one shot and one hit. Metallurg’s penalty kill was tested repeatedly, including Artyom Minulin’s hooking minor at 2:13 of the second period and Will Reilly’s hooking minor for Spartak at 4:44 of the second. Metallurg killed all of its penalties. Smolin’s 23-save shutout was the backbone of the win, and he was named the game’s top star. The victory gave Metallurg a measure of revenge after Spartak Moscow won the most recent head-to-head meeting 3-2 at Metallurg Magnitogorsk earlier this season.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk returned to form after a 4-1 loss at Shanghai Dragons in its previous game. Before that, Metallurg had won at Avangard Omsk 5-1, beaten Ak Bars Kazan 2-1 at home, won at Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4-3 and topped Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 6-2 at home. Spartak Moscow has lost consecutive games to Traktor Chelyabinsk and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg by identical 4-2 scores. Spartak’s recent home struggles continued against a Metallurg side that has been strong on the road in the early season. Metallurg next hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Spartak next hosts Barys Astana.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Spartak 3, Metallurg M 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Metallurg M with a 60.5 percent probability to win. Both projections favored a closer game than the one that unfolded, as Smolin’s shutout and Metallurg’s two-goal attack produced the final 2-0 margin.