CSKA head coach Igor Nikitin shared his thoughts following the team's victory in Chelyabinsk.
– It was a gritty game today. Traktor made it a tough game. Credit to the guys, they turned it on at the end. It’s always tough to play the same team back-to-back, so we had a bit of a slow start. Keep it up further.
– Would you say CSKA physically outplayed Traktor from the midway point of the third period through overtime?
I don't know about physically, but we were creating chances and controlling the game. That’s what I said – we owned the third period.
– The second period was a completely different story than the one in Moscow.
– Agree. Traktor played a different game, plus those three penalties – especially in the second period.
It's a tough shift, and a four-man change is brutal. That’s why they lost it.
