Head coach of Yaroslavl “Lokomotiv” Igor Nikitin noted that during matches against Moscow CSKA there are no small things.
On Wednesday, Lokomotiv defeated CSKA with a score of 2:1 in the fourth match of the first round of the Gagarin Cup. The railroad workers lead the series with a score of 3-1.
— It was a difficult match, we played a lot in the defensive zone. Let’s prepare further.
— Three victories in a row. What conclusions did you draw after the first match, lost 0:4?
“It would be stupid to tell everyone what we did.” Two teams compete, and that’s it.
— What news from Averin?
— There is no encouraging news. He has an injury.
— Three victories in a close fight. How will you prepare the team for the next match?
– Live and learn. Game every other day. Tomorrow is recovery training.
— Denis Alekseev scored the fourth winning goal against CSKA this season. Previously, he was considered an uncut player. Do you think that as a coach, Alekseev significantly improved during the playoffs and became the leader of Lokomotiv?
— The statistics speak for themselves. Leadership skills are not just a flash in the pan. It’s stability throughout the playoffs.
— In the third period, you did not attack aggressively on the power play, but you simply controlled the puck. Finally, as a safety measure, they took her to the middle area. Is there such a setup?
— There was no setup in the middle zone to control the puck.
– Did they keep him out of danger?
— You cannot play with CSKA according to the “out of danger” principle. We have to play with a different psychology.
— Why is Yaroslav Likhachev not included in the team?
— Yaroslav (this is our first year). He and Kiryanov are freshmen. Everyone else has already finished the series against CSKA. Everything in its time. We don’t want to punish or make things extreme. It’s in progress. On the one hand, everything is in his hands. On the other hand, the playoffs are a slightly different competition.
– Do you need to grow up?
– Therefore, to say.
— For the first time in this series, the first link stood out. How important is this?
— In the playoffs, all connections are important. The first is the management team. They are responsible for the result.
—What played a role?
– Everything went well. The implementation allowed us to move forward. The minority too – the guys tried. There are no trifles against such a team, ”reports the correspondent of , according to Nikitin’s words.
On March 8, the teams will hold the fifth meeting of the series on the ice of Yaroslavl. If Lokomotiv wins, they will advance to the quarterfinals of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoffs.
Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoff matches on the channel, as well as on the 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.
