Yaroslavsky”Locomotive “In terms of potential, he can at least win the Western Conference this season if he continues to improve in his game,” a hockey expert, former general manager of several KHL clubs, told . Leonid Weisfeld .
On Thursday, Lokomotiv defeated Vityaz in Game 5 of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) first-round playoff series to win the best-of-four series 4-1, becoming the first Cup second-round entrant. Gagarin.
– Three overtimes in five matches – it’s obvious that Lokomotiv hasn’t been as easy as it looks, if you just look at the series score. Vityaz had a very good season, we can only congratulate them. In addition, they could completely drag out the series: in overtime, Kara had a moment of madness. Of course, Lokomotiv is stronger – there is a resource, a store and everything else. Another question, I was surprised by the tactics – Loko played too careful hockey. With their potential, they could play a lot more aggressively in attack, especially in the very first game.
For my part, it is not so much the merit of Vityaz to have won the opening match, but the tactic chosen by Lokomotiv, I have never seen anything like it. No, “Vityaz” – well done, they fought and tried. But Loko played with so much caution, even cowardice. On the other hand, winners are not judged – the result is the result. But for me, it was strange.
– Do you think that such a “Locomotive” is capable of interrupting the hegemony of the army in the West?
– Now such a playoff which, of course, is capable. We see what happens: not a single outcome can be predicted. I think if Lokomotiv split up and get back into shape, they are capable of anything. I felt like they went through the first lap out of their element. Who knows, maybe the coaches were so confident that they decided to load the guys up somewhere and take them to the top a bit later, in the latter stages of the playoffs. In terms of potential, this team is capable of beating anyone,” Weisfeld told a correspondent.
Since the 2014/15 season, either SKA or CSKA have consistently played in the Western Conference Gagarin Cup final.
Watch live broadcasts of KHL matches on the federal channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
