Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Avangard» 12/18/2025
18.12.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 0–3 loss against Avangard.
– We quickly conceded two goals from a set piece in the first period. Unfortunately, we weren't prepared for that. Then we tried to get back into the game and created some good chances. We could have scored, but the goalie and the opponent's defense played well. Even though it was 0-3, the opponent played reliably and with discipline. But after scoring zero goals, we can't expect to win.– Avangard didn't have much success at even strength in the last match. Did you take that into account?
– Of course! We analyzed the opponent in detail: they have the best penalty kill in the league, and they play well on the power play. But today they couldn't score on even strength. So, I think we did a good job on the penalty kill. Another issue is that we didn't get the most out of the power play."
– Would it be fair to say the players lacked emotion today?
– I wouldn't say we weren't emotional. On the contrary, it seemed like there was too much of it on the bench." But these emotions need to be channeled onto the ice. We talk about this constantly, but unfortunately, the guys don't always hear us.
– We have a tough road trip coming up. What's the current mood in the team?
– We're taking it game by game, and all our opponents are tough. The coaching staff and I have noticed that there are stretches where we score a lot of goals, followed by the opposite situation. It's unclear how this works. We work on finishing in practice, but for some reason, things don't always work out in games. We'd like to see longer periods of success. We'll strive for that.
Avangard Head Coach Boucher Guy:
– We played well and scored some good goals. After the last game, we worked on our mistakes and made right desicions. We played in the third period like in a playbook. The ending was disappointing because we had a power play and let the opposing team to have 2–on–1, but overall, I am happy with the way we played.
