Neftyanik Almetyevsk came away with a 2-1 regulation win over Buran Voronezh in VHL play. The road side made its mark in the middle period and had just enough to protect the result once Buran generated a third-period response.
The opening frame ended scoreless. Neftyanik broke through in the second period, and Buran answered with the only goal of the third to tighten the game. The one-goal margin held as Neftyanik secured the road victory.
The difference was Neftyanik’s ability to strike first after a quiet start. With a scoreless first period and a single goal in each of the final two frames, the game was decided by the away side’s earlier breakthrough.