KAZAN (Interstat) — Nikita Serebryakov stopped all 24 shots he faced and Michael McLeod scored twice as Avangard Omsk blanked Ak Bars Kazan 4-0 in a Kontinental Hockey League game Wednesday at TatNeft Arena. Avangard scored twice late in the first period, added a goal early in the third and closed the scoring in the final minute. Ak Bars could not solve Serebryakov despite several power-play opportunities. Attendance was 8,619. The win moved Avangard’s season record to 10 wins and 8 losses. Ak Bars’s season record is now 10 wins and 11 losses. Avangard won its second consecutive game and handed Ak Bars its second loss in three games. Avangard had won at Dynamo in overtime, lost at home to Neftekhimik, beaten Traktor in a shootout and beaten Avtomobilist at home in its previous four games. Ak Bars had won at Salavat Yulaev, lost at Traktor and lost at home to Torpedo in a shootout in its previous three games.

McLeod opened the scoring at 15:15 of the first period, finishing feeds from Alexander V. Volkov and Marsel Ibragimov. Joshua Leivo doubled the lead at 18:56 with assists from Mikhail Gulyayev and Ibragimov. The first-period goals came in a span of 3 minutes, 41 seconds. The two-goal cushion held through a scoreless second period in which penalties disrupted the flow. Joseph Cecconi took a holding penalty for Avangard at 28:15. Konstantin Nikitin was called for tripping at 33:53 and Alexei Byvaltsev for interference at 36:23 for Ak Bars. Vasily Ponomaryov went off for tripping at 38:45. The second period was scoreless despite four minor penalties, two to each team. Ak Bars had power-play time but could not convert. Avangard killed its penalties and Serebryakov kept Ak Bars off the board with timely saves.

The third period brought more penalties and two more Avangard goals. Kirill Adamchuk was sent off for holding at 40:37, and Denis Zernov took a holding penalty for Ak Bars at 43:04. McLeod scored his second goal at 43:43, with Andrew Poturalski and Damir Sharipzyanov assisting, to make it 3-0. Maxime Lajoie took a holding penalty at 53:17 and Yegor Y. Afanasyev was called for tripping at 55:08. Ponomaryov capped the scoring at 59:13. Ponomaryov’s goal came with 47 seconds left in regulation and was unassisted. The McLeod goal early in the third effectively put the game out of reach, and Ponomaryov’s late goal sealed the result.

McLeod finished with two goals on five shots. Ibragimov contributed two assists, two shots and three hits. Ponomaryov had a goal on two shots to go with two penalty minutes and one hit. Leivo scored on two shots. Gulyayev recorded an assist and two shots. Nail Yakupov put four shots on goal and added one hit. Volkov had an assist and one hit. Poturalski added an assist and one shot, and Sharipzyanov had an assist and two shots. Serebryakov, Avangard’s top star, recorded the 24-save shutout after recent outings that included a 2-3 loss to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and a 2-1 win over Traktor Chelyabinsk. He made 17 saves on 20 shots in the loss and stopped 30 of 31 shots in the win. Serebryakov’s shutout was supported by a penalty kill that survived five Avangard penalties. The teams combined for eight minor penalties.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Avangard 3, Ak Bars 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ak Bars with a 51.6 percent probability to win. The total score of 4 went over the over/under line of 4.5.