Press Conference «Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik» 9/18/2026
18.09.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 0–2 loss against Salavat Yulaev.
– The opponent was faster and fresher. They had the upper hand for nearly the whole game. Congrats to them on the win!
– Neftekhimik did not quite look like themselves. It seemed like that penalty in the second period drained all your energy. Was it a matter of game discipline, the guys getting tired and worn down or what led to that?
– From the very first period, it was clear the opponent was fresher than us. They were winning the battles and one–on–one matchups. Our penalties were a result of the opponent being fresher. I agree, we started to find our footing in the third period. Yes, those penalties really hurt us. If not for them, maybe we could have pulled something off at the end.
– Nadvorny was on the first line. However, he took a two-minute penalty and then a five-minute one. Why did that happen?
– A player breaks the rules and gets penalized. What can I say about that? He is under closer scrutiny from the officials. But I am not saying they are actively looking for reasons to penalize him. Sometimes he plays perhaps too aggressively; other times, he just gets a bit careless.
– Things started clicking in the third period, but you did not score...
– To score, you need to have the puck. For two periods, we barely had possession. The opponent was winning so many battles and matchups, so they kept the puck and Salavat had the upper hand. In the third period, we started holding onto the puck and things began to work out, but then those two penalties happened
– Neftekhimik did not quite look like themselves. It seemed like that penalty in the second period drained all your energy. Was it a matter of game discipline, the guys getting tired and worn down or what led to that?
– From the very first period, it was clear the opponent was fresher than us. They were winning the battles and one–on–one matchups. Our penalties were a result of the opponent being fresher. I agree, we started to find our footing in the third period. Yes, those penalties really hurt us. If not for them, maybe we could have pulled something off at the end.
– Nadvorny was on the first line. However, he took a two-minute penalty and then a five-minute one. Why did that happen?
– A player breaks the rules and gets penalized. What can I say about that? He is under closer scrutiny from the officials. But I am not saying they are actively looking for reasons to penalize him. Sometimes he plays perhaps too aggressively; other times, he just gets a bit careless.
– Things started clicking in the third period, but you did not score...
– To score, you need to have the puck. For two periods, we barely had possession. The opponent was winning so many battles and matchups, so they kept the puck and Salavat had the upper hand. In the third period, we started holding onto the puck and things began to work out, but then those two penalties happened
