Press Conference «Ak Bars – Neftekhimik» 2/31/2026
31.01.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 1–6 loss against Ak Bars.
– From the very beginning, we started breaking discipline, taking penalties, and it probably affected the entire game. We played a lot shorthanded, expending a lot of energy. At some point, in the second period, we perked up a bit, maybe even seizing the initiative at some point. We probably could have done something, but then again, in the third period, we were down to three against five – another violation of game discipline – and conceded a goal. In theory, we should have played to the end.– The guys haven't played for a week. Did that affect their game at all?
– Yes, I think it did, because it was evident in the final score. There were actually some goal–scoring opportunities, including chances, that could have been scored. In the very first shift, for example, Evgeny Mityakin missed an empty net. This break is probably having an impact, no matter how you look at it – game practice is very difficult to replace with something else. Moreover, the preparation process during this break was focused on a later result, so the guys had to practice a lot. It was obvious at first that they weren't quite fresh; they weren't skating very well.
– We haven't seen Filipp Dolganov in a while. What's his condition like, and did you ever think about trying him out?
– Filipp is already fully trained, he's ready to play. It's just that Yaroslav played well before the break after the break, so we had no doubts. You're right, there were some thoughts going through our heads – maybe we should give Filipp some game practice. But at 0–4, we somehow regained the initiative. Yaroslav made several very good saves, and the guys got a little fired up, so we decided not to change the goaltender and let Yaroslav play the whole game.
