Sergei Mylnikov is 24 years old, but despite his rather young age for a goalkeeper, he is already spending his second full season in the KHL, while showing quite impressive results. His save percentage is 93.5 and he concedes less than two goals on average per game.
After the KHL regular season match against Dynamo Moscow, which ended in a refereeing scandal due to the shooting of Cédric Paquette, Sergei gave an interview to , in which he talked about this episode and touched on several other important topics.
From this interview with Sergei Mylnikov, you will learn:
“I WANT TO BE IN THE TOP 7 KHL GOALKEEPERS”
— What impressions did you have from the match against Dynamo?
“I’m a little upset that we lost.” I wanted to win, but the last shootout… I don’t know what to say, I touched the puck, and then the judges decided.
—Have you ever encountered anything like this before?
“This is the first time I have encountered something like this.” I spoke to the referees after the game, they said if the goalie touches the puck when the shot is made, then it’s a goal. But I hit before the throw! Well before the throw.
— In overtime, you kept your team in the match by deflecting the same shot from Puckett. Tell us about this episode.
– Everything is simple there. There was a shot from the penny, the puck flew to the left edge, I saw that the attacker was already swinging to get closer, all that remained was to save my homeland. Thank goodness it worked.
— What is the atmosphere like in the locker room, is it difficult not to cling to the judges’ decisions?
“We don’t pay attention to it, we always have positive emotions, thanks to our coach for that.” I think this situation will only unite us.
-You have excellent stats. Do you feel like you’re getting closer to your gaming peak?
– The maximum is still far away. I’m only 24, and the guards open up a little later. I work daily with a goalkeeping coach. This brings good results.
— What are your emotions after a full season in the KHL?
“I feel like I’ve long since reached the point where I should play a little more. But I was hit by an injury and missed a month. I think I would have played a little more during this period. Well that’s okay, I’ll add more now.
— Do you have any personal goals for this season?
— Go as high as possible in the playoffs and enter the top 7 best goalies.
“OVECHKINA ENTERS SO MUCH THAT IT DOES NOT SEEM TO ANYONE”
— As a goalkeeper, what can you advise Alexander Ovechkin to improve his performance?
— I think the record is a question of time. It happens to everyone, there is always a calm before the storm. Then Alexandra will run away so that no one can find her enough.
— How closely is the team following this lawsuit?
— To be honest, we do not discuss such nuances, but we watch the NHL with the guys every day, we watch interesting moments on TV.
— Are there teams that Traktor follows more than others?
— It doesn’t exist, but there are individuals that you particularly observe. For me, they are Russian goalkeepers. I take the example of Ilya Sorokin. I want my game to also have that stretch and those “strong eyes.”
— There is a lot of talk now about the possibility of Russia being excluded from the IIHF. How much pressure does this put on the team and on you personally?
“I don’t think it’s particularly important right now.” We don’t pay attention to the IIHF. I think both will exclude and add, it’s a matter of time.
Watch 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.
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.
