Head coach of Ak Bars Anvar Gatiyatulin called the FONBET KHL championship match with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl the most difficult this season, noting that the opponent has improved compared to last year.
Lokomotiv beat Ak Bars (3:2 B) in a road shootout. The author of the winning throw was Artur Kayumov.
— An important match for us. Lokomotiv is the most stable team in recent seasons. Balanced composition. I think they improved compared to the last Gagarin Cup final. We started playing more aggressively on offense. We have been working with the team for three months. It was interesting for us to see our achievements. In terms of intransigence, character and discipline, the guys deserve praise.
— The toughest match of the season?
– Yes, you also need to be able to play such games. This is a system command. Here one could clearly see the pros and cons that needed to be improved.
— Why did Yashkin win the decisive shootout, and not Barabanov or Semenov?
— We believe in all the guys. But I decided that Dmitry would initiate the shooting.
— From match to match, you say that you must show your hockey without regard to your opponent. But in the first half, was Lokomotiv so strong, or did Ak Bars give up?
— We analyze the adversary. We understood that the opponent often blocked and captured the puck. We tried to find other ways to get to the door. Throws for fun are not necessary, ”reports the correspondent of according to the words of Gatiyatulin.
Ak Bars is third in the KHL Eastern Conference with 25 points.
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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.
