Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Metallutg Mg» 10/27/2026
27.10.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 2–3 overtime loss against Metallurg Mg.
– It was a hard–battled game. Both sides generated a wealth of scoring chances and played an open brand of hockey. Seeing a full arena was a great sight; many thanks to the fans for their support.We battled back from 0–2, but a mistake on a line change in overtime allowed the opposition to score the winner.– The first and third periods were dynamic and entertaining on our side, yet in the second we could not quite impose our game. What caused that? Was it the goal conceded late in the first?
– Giving up a goal in the last minutes of a period is never ideal. Still, I believe we had notable chances in the second. We pinned the opposition in their zone several times and created good looks – though fewer than in the first. We also had to kill two penalties, and our power play did not click today.
– How did it happen that the defense carried the load today – with both Yeryomenko and Ruchkin scoring? Why could the forwards not make a bigger impact?
– Our team is a little like the Dutch national football team of 1974 and 1978 – they played Total Football, and we play Total Hockey. Everyone joins the attack, and everyone helps on defense.
As for why the forwards did not score? I am not sure. We had chances and shot from high-danger areas, especially in the first. We just needed more precision – aiming anywhere but straight into the goalie’s midsection.
Metallurg Mg Head Coach Konstantin Shafranov:
– It was a tough game, just as we expected. Two of the Eastern Conference’s strongest teams were going head to head. We knew our opponents had come back from their road trip in high spirits, and we expected them to be even better in front of their home crowd – so we prepared with that in mind. For the first two periods – or rather, for about 30 minutes – we played quite well. After that, we began turning the puck over a little, which created problems for us and gave our opponents some breathing room. In the third period, a small mistake on our zone exit let them score and climb back into the game. Naturally, the home crowd pushed them on, and we ended up conceding a second goal. Our goaltender really stepped up and bailed us out on several occasions. In the end, it is great that we managed to win in overtime.
