Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Torpedo» 12/16/2025
16.12.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 2–5 loss against Torpedo.
– We started off very well, with good movement and creating goal–scoring chances. We managed to score first; Nikita Artamonov finally scored this season. He's a great player. But midway through the second period, we started losing puck possession. The initiative shifted to our opponents, as we had a lot of turnovers entering the zone. We made some mistakes, gave up the initiative, and then started take penalties. As the outcome, we spend too much energy there. Apparently, the guys weren't physically ready enough; that happens after a break. But let's hope the team's performance improves for the next games.– What happened in the second and third periods? The opponent significantly outshot us.
– As I mentioned earlier, the opponent had more energy. We probably misjudged our training plan during this break, which is why we weren't able to get the team into good condition for the first game.
– In the third period, the opponent scored two goals in 11 seconds. Would you say that was the key moment of the game?
– You can look at it in different ways. Even with the score tied, we had chances we did not take advantage of. Who knows how the game would have gone? It's not easy to concede two goals in such a short period of time. I mentioned earlier that our opponents managed to take control.
– Why didn't German Tochilkin play?
– He wasn't feeling well. He was on the ice for the first time today, practicing with the guys who was not on the line up list, so we hope he'll be ready for the next game. I'd like to point out that Damir Zhafyarov played after an injury. Of course, after two months without game practice, it was hard to expect him to be outstanding. But he had his moments in the first period, too. He was out of a rhythm for a long time, and training can't replace that, so Damir will gradually get back into shape.
Torpedo Head Coach Alexei Isakov:
– It was an interesting, back–and–forth game. There were a lot of quick attacks and shots on goal. It was clear that a lot of goals would be scored today. And that's basically what happened. It's great that in the third period we were able to capitalize on the opportunities we started having in the second period. Yes, I'm very unhappy with the opening period, but it's great that we managed to win. We have another short break ahead of us; we'll rest and prepare for the upcoming games.
– If you look at the second and third periods, the difference in shots on goal was 8:35 in your favor. What do you think is the reason for that?
– We were worried that our opponents would the initiative in the beginning. That is what happened. But we've seen a lot of Neftekhimik games, and we've played against them before this season. We knew we were playing against an emotional team. We conceded two goals due to mistakes. It's good that we were able to pull ourselves together afterward.
