Press Conference «Avangard – Neftekhimik» 08/21/2023

Press Conference «Avangard – Neftekhimik» 08/21/2023

Oleg Leontyev, the head coach of HC Neftekhimik:

– It was a hard-battled game. Both teams had great scoring chances. Plenty of goals were scored today. I think the fans liked this game.

We lost due to mistakes and we have something to work on. Our PK unit did a good job. Overall, we played well from the beginning of the second period.

– Why did you decide to pull the goaltender in overtime?

– The point of this substitution is to have more skaters on the ice – instead of playing 4-on-3; we got 5-on-3. When there are two more players, goal scoring chances increase.

– The team got plenty of penalties. Was it necessary to get these penalties?

– It depends on types of the penalties. Sure, we should not get any of them. Nobody did that on purpose.

– Did you have games with so much goals scored?

– We did not have many preseason games. Probably it was the most interesting game.

– Nail Yakupov played in the third line. Does he have the potential to be Neftekhimik's top scorer and become a source of energy?

– The fact that Dergachyov's line was 3rd does not mean anything. They are all first lines. Any player playing in the KHL has potential.

Nail did a good job in the preseason. We glad to have this professional player on the team.