Lokomotiv forward Stepan Nikulin in a conversation with , he expressed his gratitude to his partners and the team’s head coach Igor Nikitin for giving him the opportunity to prove himself despite his scoreless streak.
In the regular season of the Fonbet KHL championship, 22-year-old Nikulin scored 19 (8+11) points in 53 matches. In one segment of the championship, the striker could not score in 26 matches. Monday “Locomotive” defeated CSKA in the playoff match (3:2 OT) and took the lead – 2-1, Nikulin made three assists. The fourth game of the series will take place on March 6 in Moscow.
— You had a difficult regular season – many missed chances, few goals. They finally turned things around: they scored against Dynamo and scored a hat-trick against Sibir. Did it help relieve psychological stress?
– Of course it helped me. Thanks to my partners and the head coach for not pushing me anywhere, but giving me the opportunity to prove myself. All that remains is to pay.
— Are you surprised by Igor Nikitin’s patience? Many coaches, after unsuccessful series, put young players on the bench and forget about them.
— From my first season in the KHL, I knew that Igor Valerievich was a patient person. The main thing is that I enjoy it and he doesn’t just put up with it.
— In the third match of the series with CSKA, you had three assists.
– That’s all the guys. I haven’t had such heavy transfers. These are easy points, but they still give confidence to the team, including me. I hope it continues,” Nikulin told .
Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoff matches on the Match Group channels, matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
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.
