On Monday, Metallurg won the third match of the Gagarin Cup final against Lokomotiv (2:1 in overtime), leads the series 3-0 and can win the championship cup on Wednesday. The first goal of the meeting for the Ural team was scored by 23-year-old Dmitry Silantiev, whose story is amazing.
Can you imagine? The man who started the season by sending clips of his best moments to the KHL club and simply asking to be seen, is now named the most valuable hockey player of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. He already has 16 (5+11) points in 17 matches. The story is fantastic!
“We scored a goal in overtime. The goal feels nothing!
— What can you say about the third game of the final, Dmitry?
– A good match, very difficult. The opponent slightly changed the structure of the game and began to act aggressively. We played very well defensively. We tried to show our hockey and not stray from it. It’s very good that we managed to win.
— “Lokomotiv” is at home and should have played at the first pace.
– We understood that this would happen – the fans pushed them forward. We had to be patient and realize our chances.
— Are goals canceled too often in this final?
– If they cancel it, why not? I am happy for our video coaches, who work well and give valuable advice on when to submit a challenge – a request to cancel a goal. They follow the match closely, giving them honor and praise.
— Describe your moment with the puck scored in the 35th minute.
— I went on the attack, the puck fell from somewhere above. I hit him just now, and I happened to hit the goalie between the pads. It’s very good that everything went so well.
— Did you work overtime without pressure? It was more difficult for Lokomotiv here.
“I don’t know what happened in the Yaroslavl locker room. And we tried to make sure we scored that one important goal right away, while playing well on defense. No errors or losses. As a result, we abandoned this work washer. But as they say, “a goal feels like nothing,” so let’s move on.
— Ilya Nabokov lost his stick when Georgy Ivanov scored against him in the 52nd minute. Was there an opportunity to help your guardian in this episode?
— It was a difficult moment – we were playing in the minority, the opponent controlled the puck. And Nabokov’s stick was first apparently next to him, and then it was completely moved behind the goal. There, Nabok was doing his best, and so were the guys. It turns out that we ended up disappearing.
“There are a lot of guys in the tower who can play at the KHL level”
— You started the season as a VHL player and ended up in Magnitogorsk by luck. And now you are one step away from becoming the top scorer in the KHL playoffs, you have 16 (5+11) points in 17 matches. Miracles ?
– Yes why? I think everyone is capable of it. You just have to believe in yourself and work. Of course, this couldn’t have happened without the coach’s confidence and luck. But the main thing is work.
— But the “tower” is often underestimated.
— There are a lot of guys there who can play at the KHL level. They have everything in front of them. Just give them a chance.
— How did you get your chance at Metallurg? How did you get invited to see Razin?
“It’s just that my agent and I sent a video clip of my best moments in Magnitogorsk. I happened to be taken to the screening. I was very happy about it. What is the MVP? In fact, at that moment, I just wanted to go to the screening, nothing more. Thanks to Andrei Vladimirovich Razin, the coaching team and the club management for expressing this confidence in me and giving me such a chance. I try to use it by working for the benefit of Metallurg.
— You started the season in the VHL by scoring 7 (2+5) points in seven games.
— Yes, I played for South Urals from Orsk.
— The city was recently flooded. Do you have friends or acquaintances there?
— I talked to some guys. The situation is not very good. God grant that everything returns to normal there. I would like to express words of support.
— When you lead 3-0 in a series, the most difficult thing is to take the last step. What to do during these two days?
“We need to go to the gym and recover properly.” We will rest on Tuesday and on Wednesday we will play the next match. We will only focus on winning. And what’s important is that we only have four games left in the series. There is only one game on Wednesday that we have to win.
The fourth match of the series will take place on April 24 at 19:00 Moscow time in Yaroslavl.
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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.
