The head coaches of the CSKA and the SKA summed up the game.
Igor Nikitin, head coach of the CSKA:
- I think everybody liked the game. Scoring six goals, celebrating this and the win. Why did you let them back into the game? We need to clean up some specific mistakes. Human element, everything is clear here. In this situation, we have to stay cool, stick to the system, and play for the result. In the game, it is important to respond correctly to the momentum that either you or your opponent has seized. I think we managed our own momentum poorly, but we adjusted the right way when SKA swung the momentum. We’ve got things to work on, but the boys deserve some praise.
Igor Larionov, the SKA head coach:
– Give credit to the opponent. I already told the boys exactly what they needed to hear: I'm proud of their character, proud that they didn't quit, and that they kept pushing to find a way to win. But we just ran out of time to win. Hate to lose, obviously, but there were more positives than negatives. We’ve got three days before the next game to catch our breath and move on.
– What's the status on Zakhar Bardakov, he missed most of the game?
– I don’t want to speculate right now. We usually get a clearer picture after the morning skate. He has a lower-body injury.
– Your predecessor said during the last playoffs that the team needed to clean up 700 details in our game. How many elements need to be adjusted right now when playing defense?
– I’m telling you, this is game nine of the season. Those scars in your head and your chest, they don't heal until you get the job done. And what needs to be done? We've got the time, and we're gonna get it done, believe me. There is previous experience – my own personal experience. We’ll get everyone on the same page about what we want to see. Don't worry about that, this team has a solid backbone. Now they just need to build some muscle around it and develop that character we all want to see. All of this will happen.
– As for who pulled off the comeback, it was the young guys – the ones from the third and fourth lines. Why did the more experienced players seem to go missing in that situation?
– Let me put it this way: speaking professionally, we win together and we lose together. I could say a lot of things, but I don’t think it would be fair to the guys we’re expecting to produce, show character, and bring that fire we saw out there today. We've got plenty of time to clean up our game and talk it through in the room. It's a process. A team with championship aspirations has no right to play like this – without any fire, without any character. Let’s give it another 10 to 15 games before we draw any conclusions.
Like I said after the games in Chelyabinsk and Astana, we're letting our opponents dictate the play too much and generate too many chances. On top of that, we're making our own mistakes and beating ourselves. We won those games, everything's great, we got the points. But on the other hand, against stronger teams, they’ll bury their chances if you give them two or three opportunities, just like what happened today. That's why I brought that up in the room after the game, too. We gotta air out the gear. We don't want to sit back and trap. What was the attendance today? About ten thousand? Look, fans buy tickets wanting to see a great hockey game, and we definitely gave them their money's worth tonight. At the end of the day, we want to win. We can't be beating ourselves and giving them the kind of opportunities they had tonight. There’s huge potential to adjust and sharpen up our game, because right now we're rotating six defensemen.
