Defender S.K.A. Alexander Nikishin in a conversation with a columnist, he shared his opinion on the Gagarin Cup first-round series against Minsk”Dynamo “.
SKA beat Dynamo in the first round of the Gagarin Cup in six games. Nikishin scored 3 (1+2) points in this series.
– Your fight against Dynamo Minsk was similar to the level of the group stage of the Olympic Games. The series is very hot.
– The series went like this because there are no weak teams in the playoffs. No one will give up victory with little blood. Everyone fights for every meter of the site. Dynamo Minsk had a great playoff. All five played well. It turned out to be a real playoff run, which the fans probably enjoyed, Nikishin told a correspondent.
– In the second round you will play against the “Torpedo” from Nizhny Novgorod. What do you expect from this series? An open team, previously called non-cutting team, plus innovative coach Igor Larionov.
– Regardless of the characteristics given to such and such a team in the regular season. The playoffs are a completely different game. We do not choose an adversary. Ready to play with any team. We don’t care.
— You scored 6 points in 16 games during your KHL playoff career. Does this mean that in cup matches you change your style by focusing more on defense?
– I agree, the style of play changes a bit in cup matches, you play for the good of the team. Of course, I always want to help the team win by scoring goals and providing assists, but in my position it’s much more important not to concede.
– What contribution to your development did the great former defender Sergei Zubov, who works as a coach at SKA, make?
– Like our entire coaching staff, Sergey Alexandrovich works with the entire team. It tells me a few nuances in game moments and something in terms of the training process. This is very valuable information.
– Do you follow “Carolina” news closely? Andrey Svechnikov tore the crosses. Does this deprive the team of chances for the Stanley Cup?
– I am the overall result: I know if I won or lost, I look at the reviews. It was interesting at the time of transfers – how the team will be formed and what will come out of it. I know that Andrei has an injury, I haven’t written to him personally, but I am aware of the events, Nikishin told .
In the regular season this season, the 21-year-old Nikishin became the KHL’s leading defenseman-scorer, scoring 55 (11+44) points in 65 games. Only seven points separated him from the league’s top scorer – teammate Dmitry Yashkin (40+22) became him.
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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.
