CSKA Moscow head coach Igor Nikitin summed up the game in Minsk.
– Good game. It’s always great playing here, and the boys deserved the win today. You gotta give credit to the opponent, they fought until the very end. For us, with this kind of crowd, sticking to our process is a good sign.
– What do you think was the turning point of the game?
– First shift. The first line immediately set the standard for how we need to play tonight. They battled for the puck.
Compared to the last game, we took more penalties but only conceded once. We got two minor penalties for high-sticking during the game. Is this emotion? How can you explain it?
– I think people love hockey because you just can't explain it – sometimes the emotions completely take over. We knew what Dinamo's power play percentage was, we talked about it. he response from the penalty killers was exactly right – they fought hard to bail out the guys who made the mistake.
– And it feels great to finally snap that eight-game skid in Minsk. How happy are you with this fact?
– We're happy we earned it. I'm not saying we were the better team, but as a group, we did everything we could to earn that win.
It was a tough start to the season, but now you're on a seven-game winning streak. What does the coach do to keep the team confident, help them improve, and put together a run like this?
–The real grind is finding that drive day in and day out. We are working on this aspect of the game with our boys. It's a process, and we know we’re just getting started. We’re not looking at the streak here; we’re looking at the quality of play and the work ethic.
