The head coaches of the CSKA and the Traktor summed up the game.
Igor Nikitin, head coach of the CSKA:
– Rough start. The second period gave us a chance to get back into the game. We’ve already moved on and we’re preparing for Traktor.
– This game was the exact opposite of the one in Ekaterinburg – back then we had a good first period but fell apart in the next two. Complete turnaround. There’s only one takeaway: you can’t win without paying the price. Do you agree with this?
– It's a fact, and we're not here to argue it. We are a honest team and we hold our guys to that standard. You've gotta grind for the win.
– Klim Kostin was benched after the first period and was replaced by Nazar Privalov. What are the reasons for this? How would you evaluate Nazar’s performance today? He scored a goal and did a lot of great dirty work out there.
– We decided to give Klim a rest. There was a chance to give the kid a shot. Nazar’s doing great, he’s capitalizing on his chances. At the end of the day, that’s exactly what a young player needs to do: bring that raw passion to the team when the vets have been stuck in the grind for so long. Maybe that’s exactly what’s missing. So he did his job.
– And another question about him: He’s totally unfazed – he celebrates his goals big and clearly skates on equal footing with seasoned vets like Pavel Karnaukhov. Is he just one of those special guys who plays totally loose with zero panic in his game?
I’ve lucked out in my career, getting to work with some unbelievable young talents back then and still doing it today. They stand out from the rest because of their athletic grit and impeccable character. First it was Kaprizov and Surin, and now it's Nazar Privalov. In other words, upbringing within the family – what parents raised him to. That’s pure hockey swagger. You can’t make it in this sport without it.
It must have been a surprise for you too that your team just couldn’t get anything going for most of the first period. In your view, why?
– We skipped the morning skate today. It’s been a grueling schedule, and emotions boiled over. Gave the boys a chance to rest up. They got hooked. Great job by Samonov today, and the boys definitely awarded him the player of the game. They know he just gave 'em a wake-up call. We're fine with that, because a team needs to be able to handle any situation. The bottom line is how you react to a good start or a bad start. We’re really focusing on how we respond here.
Scott Gordon, Traktor head coach:
- I thought we had a great first period. As good as it was, our second period was just as bad, while CSKA had a really strong second. The third period was an afterthought.
– The young guys were turning the puck over in their own zone. It's clear the game plan was to play out of the zone with possession, but don't you think that against CSKA, we could have used the boards situationally just to give the team a breather?
– I disagree. We’ve had episodes where our veterans weren't playing their best hockey. So I’m not gonna point any fingers right now. I think our second period overall was our worst period of the season. And that is why I disagree with you on this matter.
– Fedoseev was sent down to Chelmet, but don't you think guys like Nizameev and Shen need a breather too? It's tough to stay consistent at this pace.
– I have to disagree with you on Nizameev. He earned his spot on the first power-play unit with the way he was playing, but he just missed four days due to illness. I am pleased with how Artemiy is playing.
– One more question about Nikita Soshnikov, who – despite being an experienced player – is taking penalties like these today. Why did you react like that? It was completely unnecessary.
– Did you see how he got that penalty? There was a reason he played it the way he did, and I have zero issues with Nikita’s decision on that play.
Yaroslav Fedoseyev was previously sent to Chelmet, but Mark Rodionov is the one getting the ice time. Why did you go with Mark for this shift?
– There was no question of having to choose between Rodionov and Fedoseyev. We simply wanted Fedoseyev to get more playing time.
– There’s another match against CSKA on Sunday. Will there be any tweaks to the game plan to make sure that mistake doesn't happen again?
We need to work on our compete level in the second period, because it was unacceptable. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, whether they’re at the top of the standings or at the bottom, we need to clean up this part of our game and take better care of the puck.
