Nail Yakupov’s third goal in the KHL was not enough to stop his Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk team losing 5-2 to Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
Salavat Yulaev, the 2011 champion, went 3-0 up in half an hour on a hat trick from forward Igor Mirnov.
Although Evgeny Blokhin and Yakupov, the No. 1 NHL draft pick, scored to give the visitors hope, Salavat slammed the door shut with two more goals from Artem Garaev and Nikita Filatov in the third period.
Salavat Yulaev moved to the sixth place in the Eastern Conference, while Neftekhimik sits one place above.
In another game Friday, Spartak Moscow beat Severstal Cherepovets in overtime 3-2 on the home ice, with defenseman Shaone Morrisonn scoring the winning goal, his first for the Muscovites.
Spartak is 11th in the West with six defeats in its last eight games, while Severstal is eighth.
In the Latvian capital, Dynamo Riga overcame Vityaz Chekhov 2-1 in overtime.
After a goalless 50-minute spell, the teams exchanged goals to go into overtime, when Martins Karsums handed the host team victory.
Dynamo sits tenth in the West, while Vityaz is 13th.
