Today we will see the first seventh game of these playoffs. “Avangard” will host “Lokomotiv” in Omsk, and so far the score in the series is 3-3. If you remember, the “hawks” lost the first two matches at home – first in overtime (1:2 OT), then there was a crushing 0:7, after which head coach Mikhail Kravets was fired.
Goalkeeping coach Sergei Zvyagin took over as interim coach, returning to the previous model of play that Avangard had shown under Bob Hartley. And it worked. Omsk won in Yaroslavl (2:1 OT). Then they lost (1:3), but won two more matches (4:2 and 3:2), bringing the series to its peak.
Watch the live broadcast at 1:15 p.m. Moscow time on . Well, for now I’m talking with Damir Sharipzyanov.
“I love playing in the 5-on-6 minority and catching the puck for myself.”
— In the sixth match, Avangard showed character – he won (3:2), although he lost by two goals.
– Yes. To be honest, I’m really proud of the guys, the way we reacted to the game. After letting the puck go into the locker room two seconds before the buzzer, it was easy to give up. Raise your hand and say, “Well, not today.” »
And we also conceded a goal in the second half. However, I saw around the bench that the boys were ready to play and fight. I don’t know how many changes it took. But we scored three goals quite quickly.
—And you received most of the “5 out of 3” unexpectedly. Were you surprised by this gift of fate?
— In general, we have the feeling this season that the judges want us to play “five against five”. It works both ways, some deletes whistle. I thought Chistyakov wouldn’t be sent off in the corner because the near referee didn’t signal a foul, but the far referee did. Well, six of them went on the ice…
Even before the match, I thought it was unlikely Lokomotiv would ever beat their numbers. It’s a very organized team. But it happens to them too.
— What was the most important thing at the end, when the Yaroslavl team removed the goalkeeper and you led the defense?
— I wouldn’t say that in the third period we really played to hold on. Because when you start going backwards, bad things are inevitable. We moved forward, didn’t cover the boards – and saw that their defenders were starting to meet us on our blue line. Naturally, they had to win back.
But I love playing “5 on 6”, when the opponent is losing by one or two goals and you are catching pucks on yourself. It’s very good that everyone at Avangard acted clearly. I won’t say I directly directed. I’m just trying to give the guys a hint.
“Why did we abandon the Hartley model? The question is not for me”
— During the series with Lokomotiv, you returned to the playing model (1-2-2), which was still under Bob Hartley. Its essence is that two defenders play from behind, not one. And they abandoned the model (1-3-1), set by Mikhail Kravets. But I have a question: why did we have to move away from the system that won Avangard the Gagarin Cup in 2021?
– The question is not addressed to me. But judge for yourself. When we played the Hartley model in the first season, we won gold. The second year, it was the seventh game of the second round, when we lost to Metallurg, finding ourselves one game away from the medals. I believe we then lost the series against Magnitka because February 2022 happened and the main Finnish defenders, Oliver Kaski and Ville Pokka, left Avangard. If they had stayed, I believe we would have passed Metallurg. In the semifinals we should have played with Traktor – now, after a while, I guess we would have managed to play Chelyabinsk. By the way, they lost their series against Magnitka with a score of 1-4. In other words, there could be a finale.
2023 – we won medals again, there was bronze. In other words, Hartley’s plan worked. But I don’t know why, this season we decided that we had to play completely different hockey. I can’t answer that. But it’s good that we evened the score in the series, taking it to the seventh game.
— Are you happy to go back to the old model?
— Personally, yes. But there were concerns for the guys, because our roster had been updated, a lot of them didn’t play in that game. But we talked together in the locker room. They asked what everyone thought about this. And everyone got involved, everyone was in favor of playing according to the model that we adhere to now.
– The seventh game of the series, what does it mean to you?
– Of course, it’s a holiday. Moreover, it will take place at the Omsk Arena, and it will be the first seventh match in the history of the palace. I think all of Omsk will accept this story with pleasure. All the fans will keep us going.
Naturally, Lokomotiv is a great team that will fight. And in the sixth meeting, they fought and had a good match. But I’m glad we were able to take ours. Now we wait for the seventh game.
“It would be interesting to see four Eastern clubs in the semi-final”
— Why do Eastern clubs dominate so much in the second round of the Gagarin Cup? What’s the thing?
– I can not tell. Not that “Automobilist” and “Traktor” were surprising. I wouldn’t be surprised if they reach the third round. It was difficult to play against them in the second half of the championship. They were two good playoff teams. I’m a little happy for them that they’ve already stopped by. But we think about our game. It would be interesting to see the four Eastern clubs in the semi-final.
— Is there such a thing in the KHL, as in the NHL, that the Eastern and Western conferences differ in style of play?
— I don’t know, and I haven’t heard that about the NHL. Another thing that makes me happy is that teams with lower seeds are doing so well against strong favorites like SKA. “Avtomobilist” played this episode very well. He looked much better than his opponent. Maybe they don’t play super attack. But they play winners’ hockey. And because of that, they are so confident going into the playoffs.
— Are you surprised by the news about other clubs? For example, how CSKA said goodbye to Sergei Fedorov and placed Ilya Vorobyov there. Law of the jungle: if you don’t become first in the playoffs, goodbye.
— Yes, you won’t envy the coaches there. But you will remember how many years in a row CSKA played in the final. The military knows what they are doing. Let’s see how they perform next season – it will be interesting. Also, as I assume, their list will be significantly updated. A lot of guys are going to leave. But it’s clear that Avangard isn’t thinking about that at all. This is all just an aside. And ahead of us is the seventh match with Lokomotiv.
— What kind of sign works in Omsk, that the local governor Vitaly Khotsenko gave the Avangard sweater to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and immediately the “hawks” began to win? Fans are actively discussing it.
– I don’t know how – but it works. In the sixth game, Belarusian Igor Martynov scored his first goal in the playoffs. And in the fifth game, Belarusian halfback Ryan Spooner scored his first goal, earning three points. But he came to us from Dynamo Minsk. It turns out we are winning, thanks in part to Lukashenko. A good omen!
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.
