The head coaches of the CSKA and the Dynamo summed up the match.
Igor Nikitin, head coach of the CSKA:
– Sasha Samonov’s save was the highlight of the game.
– What do you attribute the struggling penalty kill to early in the season?
– If we knew how to game-plan for this, we would've solved it a long time ago. I think it’s a combination of a few different things. I think they’re playing a bit too cocky on the penalty kill. They’re matching up against the opponent’s top lines, so there’s absolutely no room for errors. We'll tweak that.
– How do you decide on the starting goaltender when you have two such strong players as Samonov and Gamzin?
– They are rotating right now. They have a tough schedule. While skaters can sometimes rely on their teammates to carry the load, a goalie is always in the spotlight, and every single game takes a massive toll. Right now it's an easy choice for us – they alternate starts. But hockey is unpredictable, you've got to stay on your toes. Competition breeds excellence.
Leonid Tambiev, the Dynamo's head coach:
– I liked the team's play, it was a solid performance. The boys were buzzing, and we played a tough opponent who was riding a lot of confidence on a seven-game heater. Yeah, there were some mistakes, but the guys played our brand of hockey.
– Even with the tough loss, do you agree that today’s game was one of their best performances of the season?
– We definitely had some good looks back then. I loved the energy out there – we won a lot of battles, blocked shots, and showed a ton of commitment. A tight-knit team was on the ice. Building a team takes time. The boys are buying in.
– What did change on power play? They executed it three times today.
– They converted their scoring chances. They had plenty of chances before that too, missed a wide-open net there. Finishing is a fine line. They missed the net there, but they buried it here. We’re going to spoon-feed it to the boys. The boys are working hard, everyone is bought in. It takes time.
