Former defenseman for several KHL clubs Nikita Shchitov told that “Metallurgy” has every chance of winning the Gagarin Cup, but Yaroslavl “Lokomotiv” very strong team.
On Thursday, Metallurg Magnitogorsk defeated Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the first game of the KHL playoff final with a score of 2:1.
— Even before the start of the final, I had no doubts about the ability of the Metallurg coaches to build their team for Lokomotiv. I don’t understand why many people say that Yaroslavl is the undisputed favorite of the series. “Magnitka” shows creative and interesting hockey – it draws beautiful combinations, the players play excellent passes, and the goalkeeper Ilya Nabokov plays well. The Metallurg coaching staff includes great players of the past – Razin, Mozyakin, Trubachev. They have played combined hockey themselves and can introduce their ideas into their team’s play.
Yes, Igor Nikitin and his team are also very experienced specialists. But I think Metallurg is much more creative. In addition, Magnitka turned out to be well prepared physically, despite the fact that she finished the series with Avtomobilist in seven matches. From the first minutes, Magnitogorsk dominated and did not back down from their match. At the same time, “Metallurg” intelligently restructured itself during the match to defend, when “Lokomotiv” had taken the initiative. This played a key role. Razin’s team played calmly, without nervousness.
Yes, there was a moment when the Metallurg defender made a cross pass in his own area, which should not have been done, and there was a defeat. After a while, Lokomotiv opened the score, but Metallurg did not collapse and came back very quickly. This suggests that Razin’s coaching team managed to find the right words and the team did not tremble.
It goes without saying that Lokomotiv had too long a break. I think one period is enough to build. But the Yaroslavl team showed powerful hockey only when there was a minute left before the final siren. The team flew back to win back in a six-on-five format; there was nothing left to lose, an assault was necessary.
Magnitogorsk looks great. There they adopted the experience of the Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo and benched the injured captain Yegor Yakovlev. The team needs him. Metallurg forward Nikita Grebenkin said during the break that Yakovlev gives a lot of advice and in general it’s great that he is with the team.
Of course, Lokomotiv is a very strong team which is having an excellent season. But I think Metallurg has every chance to win the title,” Shchitov told .
The second match of the Gagarin Cup final will take place on April 20 in Magnitogorsk and will start at 14:00 Moscow time. Watch the live broadcast of the match on the channel from 1:30 p.m. Moscow time, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
