Press Conference «Avangard – Neftekhimik» 11/1/2025
01.11.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 1–2 loss against Avangard.
– Having so many power plays and, basically, scoring only one goal, of course, not a good thing. We should have scored more and capitalized on our chances in a game like that. Unfortunately, we could not take advantage of the power play chacnes we had. It is not enough, of course.
– Usually, when there is a lot penalty killing play, the game breaks down. But when there's a power play, that is not the most typical situation, is it?
– Of course, the game breaks down, because some players get more on ice time, while others get much less. Yes, some players overplay. Still, the power play is also about emotion, it is also about energy, it's also about energy expended. Naturally, they outplayed today, I think, probably twice as much as those who played shorthanded.
– Nikolishin made his debut for your team. Why did you decide to sign him, are you, so to speak, "reviving" his career?
– We are looking for a center forward. We are having some issues with that. Dergachyov has been injured for a very long time; he has not even started practicing with the team yet. So we absolutely had to fill the gap. Ivan has appeared on the market. He's a qualified player, someone we know and know his capabilities. Today was just his first game, really. I think he looked good for his first game. His level is still visible. It's just that he hasn't really trained with the team yet; he's not quite ready in some ways. I think that with time, if he gets back into shape and we find the right teammates, he'll help us–and we'll help him.
– What about Damir Zhafyarov?
– Obviously, we missed him today. He's basically our attacking leader; he's so skilled that he can make the difference. And, by the way, we really missed him on the power play today. But he got injured in the last game. He was already on the ice today, but he hasn't trained with the team yet; he's been training with the reserves. The injury isn't too serious. I hope that maybe we'll get him back on track by the next game, and he'll be out there and helping us.
– Usually, when there is a lot penalty killing play, the game breaks down. But when there's a power play, that is not the most typical situation, is it?
– Of course, the game breaks down, because some players get more on ice time, while others get much less. Yes, some players overplay. Still, the power play is also about emotion, it is also about energy, it's also about energy expended. Naturally, they outplayed today, I think, probably twice as much as those who played shorthanded.
– Nikolishin made his debut for your team. Why did you decide to sign him, are you, so to speak, "reviving" his career?
– We are looking for a center forward. We are having some issues with that. Dergachyov has been injured for a very long time; he has not even started practicing with the team yet. So we absolutely had to fill the gap. Ivan has appeared on the market. He's a qualified player, someone we know and know his capabilities. Today was just his first game, really. I think he looked good for his first game. His level is still visible. It's just that he hasn't really trained with the team yet; he's not quite ready in some ways. I think that with time, if he gets back into shape and we find the right teammates, he'll help us–and we'll help him.
– What about Damir Zhafyarov?
– Obviously, we missed him today. He's basically our attacking leader; he's so skilled that he can make the difference. And, by the way, we really missed him on the power play today. But he got injured in the last game. He was already on the ice today, but he hasn't trained with the team yet; he's been training with the reserves. The injury isn't too serious. I hope that maybe we'll get him back on track by the next game, and he'll be out there and helping us.
