Press Conference «Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik» 2/2/2026
02.02.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 1–2 loss against Salavat Yulaev.
– At some point, probably in the first period, I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu compared to the game on January 5th. I think even the same player – Nikita Zorkin –scored basically the same goal. So, overall, the game was probably the same, but maybe there were a few more scoring chances than in the previous game, both ways. The goalies played well, the guys tried hard defensively, but it was a low–scoring game. It was very quite an open hockey, but low-scoring. Basically, we once again failed to score more than one goal against Vyazovoy – that's a bit of a worry for us, to be honest.– Dolganov returned to the lineup today after a month. How ready was he? Judging by the game, he was quite ready.
– Well, yes, of course. Filipp was ready; he had an injury. After that, we basically gave him a chance to recover, especially since Yaroslav played confidently, and we won. So Filipp regained his strength and emotions a little. Maybe there was a slight fear that he'd lost his rhythm. Everything was great, he is a great guy.
– So, the way Vyazovoy's played was the main reason for the loss?
– It feels like yes, as if we can't—we just can't beat him.
– Well, in every game against Salavat, Neftekhimik seems to be banging into a wall, into Vyazovoy, unable to score. Maybe we lack flexibility?
– Well, that's probably a continuation of the previous question. We still give the guys advice, and they try, but we can't. It's hard to explain here, but there, yes. You need some element of luck, some element of surprise, some other element. We had enough chances... Well, unfortunately, we can't score.
