CSKA head coach Igor Nikitin summed up the game against the Spartak.
– The boys kept the pace and didn't sacrifice quality. It’s too early to judge, but a solid tune-up game. Total team effort today, a character win. It’s a long season, it’s tough to avoid slumps, and only the team can pull you through them.
Time will tell if Nazar Privalov is ready for the KHL level. Our job is to get him ready for this chance. He has to make it count. It’s too early to tell. There’s no question about his talent, but making the leap to pro hockey takes time. We gotta back him up. We plan to start him in the next game as well.
We’ve been grinding for two weeks. The boys are itching to play. We know how crucial these exhibition games are, since we only have four.
We’ve got the Zvezda players at our place tomorrow night. They’ll get their chance, so we’ll have to juggle the lines.
We knew who we needed on the roster, so our top priority was keeping the core together. The players we brought in were signed for specific roles because we knew their game. Right now, we're dialing in on what needs fixing. Still building the team.
Barach played as a winger in America. Right now, the Canadians could consist of 12 center forwards. We'd love to have more center forwards, too. It’s great to have a center who can play the wing. We watched him line up with Buchelnikov, and we caught his games with Metallurg too. He wasn't drafted to fit a certain player; they took him strictly on his merits. He’s got a lot of character.
Patrikhaev sustained an injury and is going with the medical staff for further evaluation. We hope it’s nothing serious.
