KHABAROVSK (Interstat) — Ivan Fedotov stopped 23 shots and Spartak Moscow defeated Amur Khabarovsk 2-1 in a Kontinental Hockey League game on Wednesday at Platinum Arena. The victory moved Spartak to 8 wins and 7 losses. Amur also sits at 8 wins and 7 losses. An announced crowd of 7,100 watched the visitors erase an early deficit and take the lead in the final minutes.

Amur opened the scoring quickly when Vitaly Abramov scored 1:44 into the first period, with Artyom Shvaryov picking up the assist. Abramov, a 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward, finished with a goal, four shots on goal and two penalty minutes. The home side could not build on that start, however, and Spartak answered late in the opening period. Alexander Vl. Belyayev tied the game at 18:18 of the first, assisted by Dmitry Vishnevsky and Daniil Gutik. Belyayev recorded a goal on his only shot. The tying goal changed the momentum before the first intermission.

The game tightened through the second period, with neither team finding the net. Spartak’s Nikita Kholodilin was called for roughing at 36:06 of the second. Amur’s Yegor Voronkov was penalized for cross-checking at 10:51 of the first, Abramov was sent off for tripping at 15:49 of the first, and Alexei A. Solovyov received a kneeing penalty at 16:45 of the first. Solovyov later was called for tripping at 43:53 of the third. The first period included three Amur penalties, giving Spartak power-play time, but the visitors could not convert before the intermission. The special teams exchanges did not produce another goal until the closing stretch.

Jaros delivered the decisive play at 54:58 of the third period, scoring with assists from Maxime Comtois and Danil Pivchulin. Jaros, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound defenseman, had one goal, one shot and one hit. Comtois added an assist, four shots and one hit. Pivchulin collected an assist and one shot. The goal gave Spartak its first lead of the game and proved enough behind Fedotov. Jaros’ goal was his third of the season, while the assists were the second for Comtois and the fourth for Pivchulin.

Fedotov, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound goaltender, earned the win with 23 saves on 24 shots. His recent form included wins at HC Sochi in which he made 22 saves on 22 shots and 18 saves on 20 shots, along with a loss against Metallurg Magnitogorsk in which he stopped 22 of 24. Against Amur, he was steady after the early goal and protected the one-goal margin through the final minutes. Fedotov faced 24 shots overall and was especially busy as Amur pushed for a late equalizer.

Amur pressured late and finished with several notable chances. Kirill Pilipenko led the home side with five shots and added one hit. Yaroslav Likhachyov recorded three shots. Abramov had four shots to go with his first-period goal and two penalty minutes. Shvaryov recorded one assist and one shot. Despite those opportunities, Amur could not beat Fedotov again after the opening minute.

Spartak’s Mikhail Maltsev recorded three shots and one hit. Amur’s penalty kill faced repeated pressure, while Spartak’s defense limited clean looks in the third period. The visitors improved to 8-7 after a road win that followed recent victories at HC Sochi. Amur, which had won recent home games against Lada Togliatti and Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, dropped to 8-7 with the home loss. The teams entered with matching records, and the result kept them level in the standings.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Amur 3, Spartak 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Spartak with a 62 percent probability to win. Spartak is next scheduled to play at Admiral Vladivostok, while Amur is set to host Salavat Yulaev Ufa.