Press Conference «Ak Bars – Neftekhimik» 03/02/2023

Press Conference «Ak Bars – Neftekhimik » 03/02/2023

Oleg Leontyev, the head coach of HC Neftekhimik:

– We completed one of the tasks - to win playoffs game on the road. We had a two-goal led; we got penalties, five-minute major penalty. It was a great hockey for both teams. It is good that we scored in overtime. I would like to congratulate Andrei Tikhomirov and the whole team on this victory. This is just the first step.

– Were there any fears that the guys would not be physically ready for overtime?

– Of course not. Our guys are young and strong. I was sure that the guys are ready. You know, this is a professional sport.

– Bulat Shafigullin returned after a long pause. How would you rate his game?

– He played and worked great throughout the season, and today he played at his high level.

– Pavel Poryadin did so much in order to win today’s game ...

– This season is one of the best seasons for him. We can only be happy for him.

Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, the head coach of HC Ak Bars:

– We had a bad start. It is not clear why this happened. We were aware that Nizhnekamsk plays good in the first period, unfortunately, we did something wrong. We had a good third period and overtime. Unfortunately, we did not score despite the fact that we had good goal-scoring chances. We need to draw conclusions and prepare for the next game.