KAZAN (Interstat) — Vsevolod Skotnikov made 22 saves and Severstal Cherepovets scored four unanswered goals to beat Ak Bars Kazan 4-1 on Saturday in a Kontinental Hockey League game at TatNeft Arena. Severstal, the visiting team, improved to 8 wins and 6 losses. Ak Bars, the home team, fell to 7 wins and 7 losses. An announced attendance of 8,325 watched at TatNeft Arena. The result continued a strong road stretch for Severstal.

Ak Bars opened the scoring at 15:26 of the first period. Kirill Semyonov scored his fifth goal of the season, with assists from Yegor Sokolov and Stepan Terekhov. The goal gave Ak Bars a 1-0 lead, and it held through the first intermission. Skotnikov made several stops during the opening period to keep the deficit at one. Severstal’s Thomas Gregoire was penalized for tripping at 6:58 of the second period. Severstal killed the penalty and began to build momentum. Danil Veryayev tied the game at 18:41 of the second period, scoring his third goal of the season. David Dumbadze and Ivan Podshivalov assisted. The teams entered the third period tied at 1-1. Ak Bars had chances earlier in the second, but Skotnikov held firm in net.

Severstal took control early in the third. Podshivalov scored his first goal of the season 17 seconds into the period, with Dumbadze and Veryayev assisting. Ak Bars’ Stepan Terekhov was sent off for tripping at 2:38 of the third. Severstal converted soon after when Thomas Gregoire scored his second goal at 4:15, with Ilya Ivantsov and Ilya Kvochko assisting. Ivantsov then scored his fourth goal at 7:59, with Alexander Skorenov and Ioannis Kaldis assisting. That completed the scoring and capped a dominant stretch for the visitors. Severstal’s four straight goals turned a one-goal deficit into a comfortable victory.

Skotnikov anchored the win in net. He stopped 22 of 23 shots and denied Ak Bars after its early goal. The 6-foot, 176-pound goaltender had recently posted wins over SKA Saint Petersburg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, including a shutout performance, and continued that strong form. His play allowed Severstal to stay within reach before its offense took over. He helped Severstal kill the only penalty it faced. Ak Bars could not solve Skotnikov again after Semyonov’s first-period strike.

Podshivalov finished with a goal, an assist and three shots. Gregoire, a defenseman listed at 397 pounds, added a goal, three shots and two penalty minutes. Ivantsov, a 5-foot-9, 154-pound forward, had a goal, an assist and two shots. Veryayev, a 5-foot-9, 183-pound forward, recorded a goal, an assist and one shot. Kaldis, a 5-foot-10, 187-pound defenseman, contributed an assist, one shot and one hit. Dumbadze, a 5-foot-9, 181-pound forward, had two assists and one shot. Skorenov, a 6-foot, 192-pound forward, added an assist and one hit. For Ak Bars, Semyonov, a 6-foot, 165-pound forward, scored once on three shots. Terekhov, a defenseman, had an assist, two shots and two penalty minutes.

Severstal improved its road form and moved above .500 with the win. Ak Bars remained at .500 after the loss. The home side generated chances but was unable to match Severstal’s finishing during the second and third periods. Severstal’s penalty kill erased Gregoire’s tripping minor, while its power play struck after Terekhov’s tripping call. The visitors controlled the final period and finished with four goals from four different scorers. The visitors held Ak Bars scoreless for the final 44 minutes and 34 seconds after Semyonov’s first-period goal. Ak Bars entered on a two-game losing streak, and Severstal had won three of its previous four games.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ak Bars 3, Severstal 2. Interstat’s ELO system had given Ak Bars a 68.5 percent probability to win before the game.