Head coach of Magnitogorsk “Metallurgy” Andrei Razin said his team dominated the first game of the Gagarin Cup series against Avtomobilist, noting that there was confusion and excitement in the match.
On Wednesday, Metallurg defeated Avtomobilist at home with a score of 2:1 in the first match of the KHL playoff semi-final series.
— Let’s say we were a little worried, there was confusion so the start wasn’t very good. But I think we dominated, we spent more time in attack, we dealt with them a little chaotically and we didn’t score. I would like to see the majority score, there are chances, we can note the opposing goalkeeper, he plays with a lot of confidence, maybe it’s not our fault, but rather the merit of the defense and the goalkeeper Avtomobilist . But we won, that’s the most important thing.
—How much did that missed puck make you shake? Or did you feel like the guys had everything under control, despite that unfortunate goal?
– Of course, they didn’t shake. Guys, hockey players, professionals, should not tremble in such situations. We’ve had worse situations, so it’s normal. We missed it, it’s history, we forgot about this game, we’re getting ready to move on.
— In the end, Ilya Nabokov tried to score a goal again, what do you think? It’s a regular season thing, but now it’s the playoffs.
– If they had lost, I would have killed him, but let him do it, let him try (laughs).
— One of the strengths of Avtomobilist is the majority. Today, not a single suppression of Magnitogorsk. How can you explain the actions of the team that played in a disciplined manner?
— First, when are deletions won? When you take the puck away, meaning you are in possession of the puck, your chances of not being sent off increase. Therefore, today, in this percentage, on the one hand, we spent one and a half times more time on attack, and we began to “put the bus” only at the end of the match. Before that, we were mainly trying to break through the defense – we also had possession of the puck. That’s why we played so disciplined,” Razin told the Metallurg website.
The second match of the series up to four victories will take place on April 5 in Magnitogorsk.
Watch live broadcasts of Gagarin Cup matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Official website of HC “Metallurg” (Magnitogorsk)
Source : MatchTV
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