Former defenseman for several KHL clubs Nikita Shchitov in a conversation with , he said that the head coach’s decision “Motorist” Nikolai Zavarukhin give preference to the goalkeeper Vladimir Galkin in the sixth match of the Gagarin Cup semi-finals – a wise psychological decision.
On Saturday, Avtomobilist defeated Metallurg at home in the sixth match of the Gagarin Cup semi-finals (5:3). The goal of Zavarukhin’s team was defended by Galkin, who ultimately stopped 40 shots.
The score in the best-of-four series is 3-3. On April 15, the teams will play their seventh match in Magnitogorsk.
— I was waiting for the seventh match of this pair, because the teams are equal. “Metallurg” has a younger team, but “Automobilist” has enough experienced and qualified guys. Moreover, the sixth match was at home, it was necessary to win it and start it actively. We saw it – Nikita Tryamkin scored a quick goal. Avtomobilist played well and created a comfortable margin in the score. “Magnitka” had no choice but to run forward and reconquer.
It is worth noting that the main goalkeeper of Avtomobilist, Evgeniy Alikin, was not even on the bench today. Nobody knows if there is an injury or not. No one spoke or wrote about it. I think, most likely, this is a very wise decision on the part of the coaching staff of Nikolai Zavarukhin – to put Galkin so that the team understands all the responsibility, which the goalkeeper needs helps, to play reliably in defense and attack. This situation united the team. The players came together even more and showed good hockey. Yes, Metallurg was attacking more, but they had to win back. But Galkin played very well, helped the team, helped.
I think Avtomobilist now has a slight psychological advantage. But at the same time, it is very difficult to say who will win the seventh game. The chances are equal. Both teams are great. The coaches of Zavarukhin and Razin work very well. I think we’re going to have an exciting seventh game. Both teams deserve the final,” Shchitov told .
Watch live broadcasts of Gagarin Cup matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Source : MatchTV
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