Nikita Khlystov: «It is all about learning from mistakes»
03.11.2026
Neftekhimik defenseman Nikita Khlystov speaks with the media after a following 2–1 win over Sochi.
–That was a hard game for us and, perhaps, for our opponents too. Anyone watching could see it: a real grind, a high–effort contest full of battles and physical clashes. In the end, the team that wanted it a little more came out on top.– Today you played your 200th KHL game for Neftekhimik. Two hundred games with one club is quite an achievement. When you look back at those 200 appearances, does one game stand out in your memory?
– Thank you for the congratulations! It is always nice when people notice things like this – we find it hard to keep track of such stats ourselves.
If I had to pick one, I would choose the game against Lada where I scored an overtime winner at our home arena – the one where I skated the length of the ice. That was a difficult game for me personally; I took a penalty, and many things did not go the way I had hoped. It was another life lesson: never give up. You have to keep believing in your abilities – trust that luck will eventually turn your way and that victory will follow. And, as it turned out, I managed to score.
– Are there any games you go back and rewatch?
– I rewatch every single game. It is all about learning from mistakes – we play so often, often every other day, that there is no time to sit back and simply enjoy your own performance. It is crucial to draw the right conclusions, analyze what went wrong, and apply those lessons to the next game. Maybe in the summer, if a game happens to be re-aired, I might leave it on and watch, but I do not go out of my way to rewatch them.
– Two hundred games for Neftekhimik – if you had to sum it up with one emotion, what would it be?
– Enjoyment.
