Andrei Nikolishin: OT was most fun
Yevgeni Kornoukhov, Avangard head coach:
- Good evening. Tonight was a fun game. I think the tied score in regulation is logical. Shootouts were a treat for the fans who must have loved it. Goodgame.
Andrei Nikolishin, Traktor head coach:
- I agree, it was a fun game but plenty of mistakes on our part. We were underwhelming for two periods; good thing we did well in defense. The third period was much more interesting; we allowed an unnecessary goal, but were able to tie it up late in the game. OT was loads fun, just as three-on-three should be (smiles). The whole team loved it. I think if the league were to adopt that rule, it would be awesome for everybody. As far as the shootouts, many call them a lottery, but for us it’s a matter of skill.
Question to Nikolishin: Did you like the performance of Rybakov and Sentyurin tonight?
Nikolishin: Yes. They did their job well.
Question to Nikolishin: Did Demchenko put himself ahead in contention for the #1 goalie spot?
Nikolishin: You always try to build a team using tried patterns (smiles). That is not how a team should be built; number one goalie, substitute goalie – those are just clichés. There is team, and everything should be done in its interests; it doesn’t matter who played how much. If we are going to divide the players into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ categories, nothing good is going to come out of this. Each player is a gear in a big machine called Traktor.
Question to Nikolishin: But if gears fall out, they are replaced, right?
Nikolishin: Of course, replaced or repaired. This is a creative process; just like journalism, by the way.
Question to Nikolishin: Some were under the impression that Traktor tried a little too hard on the power play: a lot of dekes, passes and few shots. Your opinion?
Nikolishin: I think it was just an impression. Avangard looked good in shorthanded play, and it is their play that did not allow us to take a lot of shots. We were not ready for this, but when we changed the strategy a little, more shots were taken.
Question to Kornoukhov: Lemtyugov is the league’s best preseason goalscorer with 6 goals. Is that a surprise for you?
Kornoukhov: I am really happy for him. If he tried and took even more shots, he could have scored even more.
Question to Kornoukhov: How serious is Popov’s injury?
Kornoukhov: Not that serious, he will be fine soon.
Question to Nikolishin: Are you satisfied with the performance of Ilya Zinovyev and Maxim Korinevsky?
Nikolishin: Well…they did well in their ice time. But hey – we can’t berate them for what they did wrong. They are still young, and we are giving them a chance to grow professionally, shoulder to shoulder with more experienced partners. It’s not like they spent 10 years in hockey school working their backsides off for nothing.
- Good evening. Tonight was a fun game. I think the tied score in regulation is logical. Shootouts were a treat for the fans who must have loved it. Goodgame.
Andrei Nikolishin, Traktor head coach:
- I agree, it was a fun game but plenty of mistakes on our part. We were underwhelming for two periods; good thing we did well in defense. The third period was much more interesting; we allowed an unnecessary goal, but were able to tie it up late in the game. OT was loads fun, just as three-on-three should be (smiles). The whole team loved it. I think if the league were to adopt that rule, it would be awesome for everybody. As far as the shootouts, many call them a lottery, but for us it’s a matter of skill.
Question to Nikolishin: Did you like the performance of Rybakov and Sentyurin tonight?
Nikolishin: Yes. They did their job well.
Question to Nikolishin: Did Demchenko put himself ahead in contention for the #1 goalie spot?
Nikolishin: You always try to build a team using tried patterns (smiles). That is not how a team should be built; number one goalie, substitute goalie – those are just clichés. There is team, and everything should be done in its interests; it doesn’t matter who played how much. If we are going to divide the players into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ categories, nothing good is going to come out of this. Each player is a gear in a big machine called Traktor.
Question to Nikolishin: But if gears fall out, they are replaced, right?
Nikolishin: Of course, replaced or repaired. This is a creative process; just like journalism, by the way.
Question to Nikolishin: Some were under the impression that Traktor tried a little too hard on the power play: a lot of dekes, passes and few shots. Your opinion?
Nikolishin: I think it was just an impression. Avangard looked good in shorthanded play, and it is their play that did not allow us to take a lot of shots. We were not ready for this, but when we changed the strategy a little, more shots were taken.
Question to Kornoukhov: Lemtyugov is the league’s best preseason goalscorer with 6 goals. Is that a surprise for you?
Kornoukhov: I am really happy for him. If he tried and took even more shots, he could have scored even more.
Question to Kornoukhov: How serious is Popov’s injury?
Kornoukhov: Not that serious, he will be fine soon.
Question to Nikolishin: Are you satisfied with the performance of Ilya Zinovyev and Maxim Korinevsky?
Nikolishin: Well…they did well in their ice time. But hey – we can’t berate them for what they did wrong. They are still young, and we are giving them a chance to grow professionally, shoulder to shoulder with more experienced partners. It’s not like they spent 10 years in hockey school working their backsides off for nothing.
