The teams' head coaches summed up the game.
– It was a tough game. The first period was tough, but the boys found strength in the second and found legs. We were luckier today.
– In many games, your opponent outshoots you. Why is that?
– There are a number of reasons here – the play of the defenders, the play of the forwards. We focus not on the quantity of shots, but on the quality of the game. So far the quality keeps our domination at bay, so there aren't many shots. Everything must be consistent. Fundamental things need to be learned to be done correctly.
– As the schedule is tight, is it necessary to achieve progress not through physical training, but by drilling tactical aspects?
– There’s no need to drill it in, it doesn’t work in the long run. Explanation, practice, repetition. When a player understands that this is good for him personally and for the team as a whole, the learning process goes better.
– Big deals are happening in the KHL. How far does CSKA need to strengthen its roster? Are there any roles to fill in?
– On the one hand, we understand that we need this. But you can also look at this as a chance for the guys. It happened that I was wrong about a player in a short period, and then he got a second, third chance. And some make use of their chances. We would like to get a couple of players, but there is also a chance for those players who are with us now.
– It seemed like the team started each period timidly. Is this true?
– It’s simple. Every time after the face-off, the game moved from the center of the rink to the defensive zone. We are not the kind of team that can give up opponents such gifts. But in these situations we bounced back, so it hit the spot.
– Did CSKA play better in the second period due to the line changes?
– We added emotion to the locker room. This was enough, but only for a while.
– Do you see that the absence of the captain's stripe benefited Nikita Nesterov, and that he was able to focus more on his game and score his first goal of the season?
- This is exactly the goal we were pursuing. We needed Nikita Nesterov as a player. The "C" or "A" patch is not important. And in the locker room Nikita remained Nikita. Each of us sometimes needs external boost to get motivated.
– A pity defeat. I'm upset, the whole locker room is upset. With respect to the opponent, there were chances to score 5-on-3, but we gave up that momentum. Our plan was to play our game actively, but the only thing was that our opponent scored right away in the second period. They understood that it was an away game and the fans spirited the CSKA up, but we allowed in the second period. We worked with Svechnikov for a long time, he hasn’t fully regained his form yet, but we did what we could. We need to train him for another week, but we need such a combat unit, so he gains strength through games. Alex Galchenyuk was eager to get into the fight and went out to practice, but something went wrong again in the last minute. He might be back in three or four days. Talaluyev was in reserve today to improve his physical condition. He was a little jaded. The boy is energetic, he tries hard, he works, there are no complaints about him. But we will add something to his game through training, we will see him soon. Andrievsky came to the headquarters, and together we are working on bg aspects. Two heads are better than one.
