Severstal forward Mikhail Ilin found similarities in the team’s play with the style of a football club Barcelona .
Severstal On Tuesday, they defeated Ak Bars Kazan with a score of 4:1 in a regular Fonbet KHL championship match. The Cherepovets team is in seventh place in the Western Conference with 13 points.
— You scored a goal against Ak Bars. Tell me how was it?
— We threw the puck into the zone, the Ak Bars defender threw it over the boards. I made a pass to Murzik (Danil Aimurzin – approx.) in the center, he then made a snail and passed it to the defender. He threw it, the puck bounced off me and I managed to hit it.
— It seems that the match was quite easy for you.
– I will say that it was not easy. Ak Bars has such players… We played well in the first half, and they played well in the second. In the third they started playing simpler and it got results.
— Have you tried focusing on speed today? Ak Bars is a fairly old team.
— We play our hockey with each team, we don’t adapt to the opponent: quick passes, tiki-taka. Like Barcelona.
— This season, you are gaining quite a few points. What helps you?
— There is confidence on the part of the coach. I also like our hockey, which we play. Everything happens through the pass, no need to chase the puck. Well, I don’t really know how to run. This hockey suits me, so I can score points.
— Do they contact you from Pittsburgh after the draft?
– They abandon game analysis. They sent me all the moments from the start of the season until the match against Spartak, where I played poorly or well. I’m still waiting for the t-shirt, they should send it.
— Did you know you can’t play under your number in the NHL?
— Even in children’s schools, if someone takes the number 99, they look at these guys askance. Because it’s Gretzky’s number.
— Why did you choose number 99?
— There used to be number 11, but it turned out it was busy. I don’t really like other numbers, I like double numbers,” the hockey player said in an interview with RB Sport.
Ilyin was selected 142nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Entry Draft.
Watch live broadcasts of Fonbet matches of the KHL championship on the channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
RB Sport
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.
