CHEREPOVETS, Russia (Interstat) — Vsevolod Skotnikov made 28 saves and Severstal Cherepovets scored once in each of the first two periods to beat SKA Saint Petersburg 2-0 in a Kontinental Hockey League game Tuesday at Ice Palace. The home victory came before an announced attendance of 4,670. Severstal improved to 9-6, while SKA fell to 8-6. Severstal has won three straight games.

Skotnikov was the game’s top star, turning aside every SKA shot he faced. The 6-foot, 176-pound goaltender recorded his shutout as SKA generated 28 shots on goal. Glotov led SKA with five shots. Matvei Korotky had two shots and one hit. Skotnikov entered the game on a strong run, having won recent starts against Ak Bars Kazan and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod before stopping all 14 shots he faced earlier this season at SKA. In those starts, Skotnikov made 22 saves on 23 shots at Ak Bars Kazan and 29 saves on 31 shots at Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. The 28 saves helped Severstal protect a lead after taking it in the opening period.

Vsevolod Nikitin opened the scoring at 12:33 of the first period, giving Severstal a lead it never surrendered. Yegor Graf and Vladimir Grudinin assisted on the play. Gennady Chalyi doubled the lead at 27:50 of the second period, with Ivan Podshivalov and Timofei Davydov picking up assists. Chalyi finished with a goal, four shots on goal and one hit. Nikitin added a goal and three shots. Podshivalov contributed an assist, four shots, two penalty minutes and one hit. Graf and Grudinin each recorded an assist and one shot, while Davydov had an assist, one shot and two penalty minutes. David Dumbadze registered four shots for Severstal.

SKA’s best chances came through Glotov and Korotky, but the visitors could not solve Skotnikov. Severstal’s defense limited second chances and blocked lanes in front of the net. The home team killed penalties to Podshivalov for hooking at 18:15 of the first period and Davydov for throwing the puck outside the playing area at 18:46 of the first. Severstal also got power-play chances when SKA’s Nikolai Goldobin was called for tripping at 15:57 of the first, Artemy Pleshkov for delaying the game at 31:12 of the second and Valentin Zykov for holding at 46:45 of the third. Severstal’s Ruslan Abrosimov was assessed a tripping penalty at 53:38 of the third. Neither team converted with the man advantage. The teams combined for six minor penalties, three apiece.

The victory continued a strong run for Severstal, which has won recent games against Ak Bars Kazan and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and had beaten SKA in Saint Petersburg earlier this season by a 5-2 score. SKA has struggled of late, dropping recent games to Dynamo Moscow in overtime and Dinamo Minsk before this trip to Cherepovets. The victory was Severstal’s second over SKA this season and its third win in a row overall. Severstal next hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, while SKA visits Lada Togliatti.

Severstal’s win gave it a sweep of the season series to this point and continued its recent mastery of SKA. SKA had won earlier games this season but entered this matchup looking to snap a three-game skid. The visitors could not find an answer against Skotnikov, who was sharp from the opening period. Severstal’s forwards supported the defense by blocking shots and clearing rebounds, while the power play generated chances even though it did not score.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Severstal 3, SKA 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Severstal with a 52 percent probability to win. The projection favored a close game, but Severstal instead secured a shutout.