SKA striker Gritsyuk: “Personally, I did not expect such a game from Avtomobilist.” A completely different team opposed us.

St. Petersburg forward SKA Arseniy Gritsiouk told that he was surprised by Yekaterinburg’s performance “Motorist » in the second round of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoffs.

On Monday, Avtomobilist defeated SKA 5-4 in the fifth match of the second round and reached the semi-finals of the Gagarin Cup.

— A match of missed opportunities. Why did SKA lose when leading 4:2?

“We probably didn’t have enough composure.” We couldn’t keep the score, we made a mistake ourselves. The third goal was our mistake, the fourth at the start of the third period was also an error, the fifth was another error. All these little details… And they made us sit somewhere, waited for us. We defended and got the puck for ourselves. They played more reliably than us, that’s why they put the pressure on.

— Why are there so many sensations in these playoffs? Because of the cross formula?

– Apparently yes. You study your conference teams all year, understand all their combinations, know every opponent. And in the second round, you come across a team from the East, with whom you have played several times.

Personally, I didn’t expect such a game from Avtomobilist at all. Remember how they progressed during the regular season, how they were eliminated in the first round by Metallurg in the last playoffs. But their composition has not changed much. But a completely different team opposed us. There are a lot of older guys who have experience. And all those moments where they could have equalized. There are a lot of technical guys who sacrifice themselves on the ice. This is why they achieve such a result.

— How much have the injuries affected the SKA? Even now, players move around the locker rooms on crutches.

– Yes, you are right, there are a lot of injured people. And I don’t know what this can be associated with. Moreover, it is mainly the main players who fail. The same Sasha Nikishin is one of the best defenders in the league, an incomparable player. Of course, we were missing him somewhere – both in the offensive zone and on defense. But what can you do? That’s life. There is no hockey without injuries.

— What has this season brought you?

— As I said this summer, I wanted to challenge myself to play on a team where they occupy leading positions, to try to break through. Somehow it worked. I often played the last minutes of matches when I needed to make a save. But in Omsk I did not see such an opportunity. Now I have to analyze the season, rest a few days and, most likely, I will slowly start preparing so as not to let myself go.

— Who will win the Gagarin Cup now?

— Lokomotiv is one of the contenders for victory in the playoffs. That’s not to say they’re a very bad team. But you know what I mean. Lokomotiv plays tough and difficult hockey. I remember how difficult it was for me with the Yaroslavl team when I still played in Omsk. And now, in the series with Avangard, all Lokomotiv players, like robots, run for 60 minutes of regular time. I don’t know what this is connected with, but it’s very difficult to beat Lokomotiv.

— Thanks to SKA for deciding to transfer all the money received from the match with Avtomobilist to the victims of the Crocus terrorist attack. How to play hockey on days like these?

– Incredibly difficult, you can’t even imagine. When it all started, the boys immediately started writing: “What’s going on over there?” I was shocked when I read the news. I don’t even know how to comment here. This shouldn’t happen. Patience towards those who lost relatives and friends in this tragedy. We must now come together as a people, as a nation. Spend more time with your family, take care of everyone. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. But here and now we need to show attention, sensitivity and compassion,” Gritsyuk told .

Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL championship matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.