Oleg Leontyev: «We played against strong team»

Neftekhimik Head Coach Oleg Leontyev speaks with the media after a following 3–4 shootout loss against Metallurg.

– We played against strong team. Metallurg is a leader of our conference. We tried to do our best and played well. Penalties that we got let us down. In the first period, there were many scoring chances from both sides. You can get a win if you are patient believe in each other.

– From the first seconds of the game it was clear that the team was ready to get a win. Do not you think that a 3-goal lead relaxed your team in bad way?

– I would not say that there is a comfortable lead in the KHL. You need to play all 60, and maybe 65 minutes, and in shootouts. An opposing team can make a comeback. Therefore, it is not about 3-goal lead.

– How would you rate the way Seleznyov played?

– That was pretty good for the first game. Seleznyov practiced once with our team and skated during warm up. It is clear that he has a good speed for this league. In the KHL, skating and decision-making time are key things. He was nervous during first shift. Fortunately, after that he played with confidence

Andrei Razin, head coach of HC Metallurg:

– We got a strong-willed victory. On the one hand, this is good. We were ready mentally; we thought the opponent would give us an easy win. It is good that we managed to tie the game up and get a win.