YAROSLAVL (Interstat) — Matvei Kotkov scored twice and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl used a decisive second-period surge to beat visiting Sochi 6-2 on Thursday in a Kontinental Hockey League game at Arena 2000 in Yaroslavl, Russia. The announced attendance was 8,031. Lokomotiv improved to 15 wins and 5 losses, while Sochi fell to 6 wins and 14 losses.

Lokomotiv opened the scoring at 7:45 of the first period when defenseman Alexei Bereglazov scored from Alexander Polunin and Andrei Pustovoi. The period grew physical and penalty-filled. Sochi’s Viktor Baldayev received a five-minute major for checking to the head or neck at 14:52. Lokomotiv’s Andrei Sergeyev was sent off for boarding at 18:30, and Sochi’s Jesse Graham drew a holding minor at 19:10. Lokomotiv held the 1-0 lead after the first period. Lokomotiv did not add to its lead during the extended power play, but it maintained control.

The pace changed in the second. Giovanni Fiore made it 2-0 at 21:22, with Denis V. Alexeyev assisting. Sochi answered at 26:28 when Yaroslav Belyakov scored from Matvei Guskov and Nikita Gusev, trimming the deficit to 2-1. The response from Lokomotiv was immediate and decisive. Kotkov scored at 30:13 from Sergeyev and Georgy Ivanov. Belyakov was called for cross-checking at 30:40, shortly after Kotkov’s goal. Kirill D. Yemelyanov then scored at 31:52 from Rushan Rafikov and Fiore, pushing the lead to 4-1. Sochi’s Artur Gizdatullin scored at 38:02 from Yegor Petukhov and Denis Vengryzhanovsky, but Lokomotiv still carried a 4-2 lead into the third.

Lokomotiv put the game away in the final period. Yemelyanov scored his second goal at 50:41, again assisted by Rafikov and Fiore. Kotkov capped the scoring at 55:51 from Yegor Surin and Ivanov. Lokomotiv’s Denis V. Alexeyev was called for hooking at 46:11. Alexei Melnichuk made 15 saves on 17 shots for Lokomotiv in the win. Sochi’s penalty trouble continued late, with Ilya V. Nikolayev called for tripping at 51:05 and Graham whistled for tripping at 59:38.

Kotkov, a 6-foot, 174-pound forward, finished with two goals, five shots on goal and one hit, earning top-star recognition for Lokomotiv. Yemelyanov added two goals, four shots and one hit. Fiore had one goal, two assists, three shots and one hit. Rafikov contributed two assists and five shots from the blue line. Ivanov recorded two assists and one hit, while Surin had one assist, five shots and two hits. Bereglazov added a goal on two shots. Sergeyev had one assist, one shot and two penalty minutes. For Sochi, Belyakov scored once on two shots and served two minutes in penalties. Lokomotiv’s defensive corps contributed offense, with Rafikov’s two assists and Bereglazov’s goal.

Sochi had entered on a three-game winning streak, including a 2-1 road win over Salavat Yulaev and a 4-3 road win over Lada, but could not sustain its response after Belyakov’s second-period goal. Lokomotiv, which had won its previous game against Severstal Cherepovets and an overtime decision against Dynamo Moscow, controlled stretches of the second and third periods. The previous meeting this season also went Lokomotiv’s way, a 6-3 road victory over Sochi. Kotkov had two shots and two hits in Lokomotiv’s previous win over Severstal Cherepovets and an assist against Dynamo Moscow. Sochi’s recent wins had come at Salavat Yulaev and at Lada, and the club also beat Dinamo Minsk in overtime. Lokomotiv’s recent wins included a 1-0 home victory over Severstal Cherepovets and a 2-1 overtime home win over Dynamo Moscow.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a 5-1 Lokomotiv win, and its ELO system gave Lokomotiv a 91 percent chance to win. The combined total of 8 goals went under the over/under line of 4.5.