Press Conference «Lokomotiv – Neftekhimik» 2/17/2026
17.02.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 0–1 loss against Lokomotiv.
– I think it was an interesting game for the fans, a two – edged game with plenty of scoring chances. It's strange that so few goals were scored, but the goalies played great, and the guys on defense played great – on both sides. So, I think that's the reason why there weren't many goals overall. Unfortunately, we couldn't score a single goal.– After the All-Star break, you've lost four games in a row. Did the break really have such a negative impact on the team?
– Yes, our team plays like that – in waves. We'll have a losing streak, then a winning streak, then another losing streak – that's how it's been this whole championship. It's really hard to explain why. The main problem isn't that we're playing poorly, but that we can't capitalize on what we're creating.
– Nikita Artamonov replaced Sokolov as the thirteenth forward during the game. What was the reason?
– I didn't like him in the first period because he was losing a lot of pucks, and the opponent was picking them up. So we decided to try Sevastian Sokolov – he got into the game well and played well. That's why Nikita ended up thirteenth.
– Did Belozyorov miss part of the third period and then come back?
– There was an equipment issue. His skate blade broke, so he missed two shifts while we repaired it.
