Nikita Khoruzhev: «No one wants to lose»
24.03.2026
Neftekhimik forward Nikita Khoruzhev speaks with the media after a following 2–4 loss against Avangard.
– Overall, it was a good game. Both teams showed great speed from the start, making it a tight game. We're getting ready for the next game.– Was it a coincidence that we scored two goals on the power play from the same position?
– It felt good to score, but I think it was more of a coincidence. We tried to move the puck quickly, get it to the net, so it was a good combination of circumstances.
– Speaking about the end of the game, it seemed like Okulov's goal put Neftekhimik out of the game a bit.
– I think it's a false impression. We tried to pull the goalie, as we saw, and we tried to do it twice, but we couldn't score. We'll keep working on it.
– A pretty good crowd of fans came to support you today. Did you feel their support?
– Of course, I felt it. Thank you very much to the fans. And I think we should get a win here.
– Were you nervous?
– One or two shifts were enough to get rid of it. It's clear the speed is much higher; I could really feel it, to be honest, but then it was just regular hockey, where the cost of a mistake is just a little higher.
– It feels like there more hits in the playoffs.
– Of course. And we make more hits too, so both teams play that kind of hockey – no one wants to lose.
