The head coach “Torpedo” Igor Larionov after an away defeat against “Spartacus” in the Fonbet championship match KHL said the most thankless task is choosing an opponent for the playoffs.
On Monday, Torpedo lost to Spartak (2:3) in the KHL regular season match. Spartak scored 76 points and ranks fourth in the Western Conference standings. “Torpedo” (68 points) comes next.
– An opponent with a victory, with a good match. Our guys also played well. We are satisfied with the match, but not with the result. Well done guys, thanks to the fans who came to support us.
— Eight minutes of penalty at the start of the first period. How would you comment?
“We can talk and discuss a lot of things on this topic here.” Of course, it was something extraordinary when, in the first 12 minutes, you were playing in the minority. This gives the opponent a dose of confidence. The judges decide the limit of dismissal, but I have no right to comment on their actions. But four in a row is too much.
— You placed Kruchinin and Goncharuk in different combinations, but during the match they came out together. Why did you decide to make these changes?
— We are looking for combinations. So far we can’t figure out if these guys together represent a formidable force. There is still a month before the playoffs to watch. Artamonov played his first match after a break today, Kovalenko fell ill, so we are looking for options that can be useful and relevant in a particular match. As the match progressed, we returned to the Goncharuk-Kruchinin duo to give some edge to the attack.
— Kirsanov and Silaev appeared together on several occasions. Are you trying youngsters in a team or did they just appear during a team change?
— There was probably a shift change here. We plan to have three right-handed defenders playing with left-handed players. Breus, a young player, did not play today, although he had a good match in Yekaterinburg. When changing teams, there are no completely logical combinations. This refers to the appearance of Kirsanov and Silaev together.
— In the first round, you will most likely end up at Spartak. Have you thought about this?
— The most thankless task is choosing an opponent. The main thing for us is not to lose anyone, we don’t have a bench like the other teams. Who we play with is not important to us. We are waiting for our entire team to be assembled. Atanasov will be just in time for the playoffs. For now, we are going from game to game. We are ready to play with any opponent. It’s important for us to have the confidence that the guys need to take a step forward and go a little further than last year.
— Will Kovalenko be able to play against CSKA?
– I think he will train tomorrow. He hasn’t been on the ice in three days. We hope he plays against CSKA, but we won’t force him. There is no point in sacrificing a player who means a lot to us. We will make a decision on Wednesday. At the moment he is scheduled to play against CSKA.
— There were a lot of your fans today and they supported the team very well. Is it thanks to your game?
— If the guys touched the hearts of people who live in Moscow, that’s great. It’s the players’ merit. Despite everything, they play hockey, which the public loves. We don’t want to delay building a team for too long. We want guys aged 17 to 20 to become men, players, thanks to which many boys and girls get into hockey. We are grateful to the people who come to our games. We see and hear their support. The support of people who come to us in Nizhny Novgorod is not only important for us.
— They say you will be recognized as the best coach in the league. What do you think about it?
– I don’t know yet what you’re talking about. I heard there would be some sort of ceremony. If this actually happens, it’s not my merit, but the team’s merit. We are all on this journey together, we want to become better and we will be. If this prize exists, I will share it with everyone in the club.
— CSKA is right behind you. Do you keep track of their condition? Are they a threat to your position?
— Examining the rankings is the job of every coach and player. But we always start not from the adversary, but from ourselves. In the next few games, we will play aggressive hockey as number one. I liked the guys’ reaction to today’s match. It’s not easy to start a match with four penalties in a row, but the guys held on, took control of the match and rebounded several times. Unfortunately, individual errors did not allow us to win.
CSKA, Dynamo, SKA, Lokomotiv, Spartak – these are just names. “We respect each opponent, but we will not be afraid of anyone,” reports Larionov, correspondent.
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.
