Press Conference «SKA – Neftekhimik» 10/15/2025
15.10.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 3–2 shootout win over SKA.
– During the pre–game interview, they asked about our opponent and why we had not had any success in our games before. I said SKA is a team that plays. A team that plays and lets others play. When games like this happen, I ask my team to attack, and it is always spectacular. Today's game was a combination of skill, luck, taking advantage of goal–scoring chances, and excellent goaltending–all of it was there. Overall, it was an emotional ending; the home team came back, but we had already suffered enough losses, so the guys were determined to win. From the very beginning, we talked about playing to win and believing. The guys did a great job; we did not give up when the opponent tied the game up, but kept playing, holding on short–handed in overtime. The shootout series was a bonus for us, because we had been losing in that area up until then.– The team had a pretty good start of the season and then a losing streak happened. What do you think is the reason?
– The guys may have felt overconfident after beating the leaders. They should feel confident, not overconfident. The game does not forgive complacency. You have to go out there and respect every opponent. Sometimes our opponents were more motivated, sometimes luck ran out on us, and we did not take advanatage of our chances. Although we are still scoring a little, we would like to see more. We knew it was time to end our losing streak. The last two games we lost were satisfying, but unfortunately, we could not capitalize on the chances we created. Today was the same: we created a lot of chances, but converted only a few. Our goalie played great. I hope this gives us momentum in the coming games.
– Neftekhimik goaltender, Filipp Dolganov, was the hero of game – he stopped 49 shots. He played 14 of 17 games this season. Are not you afraid to let your starting goaltender play too many games before the big games?
– You know, we are not really afraid. We will give them rest whenever possible, but generally speaking, top goalies play a lot, and they like to play a lot. Fil likes to play a lot. I think if he feels trusted, it will motivate him. That is how it is for now, and we will see what happens next.
– Neftekhimik played a very disciplined game, but you took a penalty in overtime. How difficult were those two minutes? It is not the most pleasant situation, playing three against four, is not it?
– As I said, the guys believed in victory, they pulled themselves together and held their ground. SKA is a very skilled team; they can capitalize on opportunities, they can create opportunities, but the guys played selflessly. And what about the penalty? You cannot criticize a player for a penalty like that–he went to the net, trying to finish the puck. Yes, he ran into the goalie and got two minutes, but I do not think any coach would criticize him for that kind of infraction. All coaches expect their players to create opportunities.
