Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Traktor» 3/10/2026
10.03.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 2–1 overtime win over Traktor.
– The game was a back-and-forth way, with the initiative shifting back and forth between teams. At times, we were more on the offensive, then Traktor. It seemed like a fairly open game, but few goals were scored. Overall, the ending was quite interesting. One goal was disallowed, then we scored in the other net. I think the fans enjoyed the game. That's good, of course, that we won. And it's good that we scored the winning goal.– What about the power play? The team scored at even strength and on the power play. Are these things connected?
– We scored on the power play – that's fine. We conceded the first goal – we made an irresponsible play. There was already a warning sign: the first pass was a cross, it didn't go right way, and the second was the same. The opponent simply read the play and scored. They simply punished us for such mistakes.
– What are your thoughts about power play?
– It happens. In the previous game, two goals were scored on the power play, in this one, only one. There's a lot of power play, but the opponent is also defending well.
– The goal disallowed in overtime. Was it like a breath of fresh air or a second wind?
– No, not really. Overtime basically went like this: we had the puck, after that, the opposing team had the possesion. When Traktor entered our zone, I was standing right near the blue line and saw it was offside. I had no doubt it was offside. The referees looked and said it was offside. It turned out that we had a chance and scored.
– As you know, Barys gave us such a gift, you could say. How important was it to get the points today, at home, taking into account that it was our last home game of the regular season?
– The guys were determined to win. The fact that we're playing last home game of the regular season... It turns out we'll be returning home at the end of the month, so we wanted to play well in front of a crowd. The arena was incredibly supportive today. Thanks to the fans who came to cheer for us.
We didn't specifically discuss the need to win at home. But I think it was in everyone's subconscious—both the coaching staff and the guys. We just didn't push the situation. We knew everyone understood that perfectly well. Everyone wanted to win. It is great that we got a win.
– Andrei Belozyorov returned after injury and scored a power play goal. In your opinion, does that give you any confidence?
– Well, naturally, everyone is pleased. I'm very happy that Andrei scored. He's basically our leading goal scorer. And he holds the club's goal scoring record. We celebrate every goal Andrei scores. We're happy that his record is growing. Today he played straight after an injury, after missing three weeks, I think, I don't remember exactly. It is great that Andrei scored o nthe pwoer play.
Traktor Head Coach Evgeny Koreshkov:
– Our four-game road trip is over. We played very well during the entire trip, both in terms of movement and content. Today, we took some unnecessary penalties, which is why we lacked focus and concentration at the end.
– Do you think these penalties were taken due to a lack of discipline?
– Well, that's what discipline is all about – penalties. That's why we paid attention to it. The fourth game, especially since it was the toughest, was already running low.
– How much did the disallowed goal affect the result? Did it disrupt your team's spirit and tempo?
– Well, what's done is done.
