Nikita Popugayev «We are a close–knit team»
26.03.2026
Neftekhimik forward Nikita Popugayev speaks with the media after a following 4–3 (2nd OT) win over Avangard.
– It was a great experience. We fought hard the entire game, we created goal–scoring chances, sometimes we suffered, sometimes we were pressed. But we played as a team, as one unit. I think that's what was beneficial.– It felt like at the start of the game the opponent wasn't ready for the kind of energy and athletic aggression you demonstrated. Was that a set-up or did it come from the team because we lost the last game?
– I think it came more from the team, because we are a close–knit team. I'll say it again: we motivate each other, we encourage each other on the bench before the game, during the game, every shift. I think that's where the motivation comes from.
– Which period of this game was the most difficult, and how does your body react to it?
– Honestly, I don't know, it seems to me... Well, it's tough, of course. You just play and play, and you don't even think about how long you've been playing. You go out on every shift, trying to work hard, do your best, and then switch to make things easier for your teammates.
– We played almost five periods. Have you ever had this experience before?
– Yes, I played six periods before.
– What did the coaching staff say during overtime?
– They said, "Let's keep going, work hard, do our best and the luck will turn in our favor.
– How did you score your goal?
– I scored my first goal this season in the KHL more or less the same way: Artyom Serikov made a shot and I redirected it. I always tell him like – Hit my stick, and it'll land behind the goal line.
– So, you didn't see the moment he made the pass?
– I saw the moment he made the pass, and we still do it more intuitively.
– Did you have a similar tactic during the two overtimes – to be patient for a bit, to wait for Avangard to show what they were going to do, and then you were sure they'd make a mistake?
– I don't think so. We tried to play as hard as we could, and also to move the puck forward. Avangard started well, they put forecheck on us at times, again, we won. We defended well.
– The playoffs are always a time for games like these, where you fight for every moment. Was the goal to upset the Avangard players, especially early in the game, to throw them off balance?
– I think it's the playoffs; everyone's trying to provoke each other into some kind of emotional outburst, to force mistakes. And I think a more stable mentality can handle it.
– Is it hard for you personally to do this? Well, I don't know, when you approach someone, when you say something, do you have to, perhaps even reluctantly, violate some of your moral principles?
– No, some people might... Well, I'm a small player, but I don't let anyone hurt my teammates, so to speak. If there's a giht, I'll always be there for my teammates.
– Do you feel extra pressure in the playoffs, and how do you deal with it?
– I don't know, those are my favorite games because there are no special stats, and you play, as I said, every shift: shift after shift, period after period, game after game. You don't have a game the day after tomorrow, or tomorrow, or anywhere else in the series – you only have today, and you have to give it your all!
