Press conference with head coaches Ilya Vorobyov and Bob Hartley, as well as with players Danila Yurov and Kirill Semyonov

PRESS CONFERENCE

Ilya Vorobyov, Metallurg head coach:

– We did a lot of things today. Great game. Now the series starts from scratch. Or it continues if to be exact.

– Would you say that today the main reasons for victory were discipline and capitalization?

– Yes, that's right. – Game discipline was important as well as capitalization on the power play. There were a lot of good chances.

– What do you say about the game of Nikolai Kulemin?

– He does a lot of rough work.

– Do the goalkeepers play till the loss? Or do you prefer another scheme?

– There is a set of criteria. We knew in advance that Vasily would start this match, regardless of the result of the previous game.

– Do you expect Avangard to provoke in the next game?

– It is necessary to keep a balance. Sometimes we should react when the situation allows.

– How would you comment on Yurov's goal?

– We gave him the puck for the first goal in the playoffs. The guy's doing great. We are very happy for him!

Bob Hartley, Avangard head coach:

– Bad start, the opponent quickly scored two goals. We tied the gap to 2-1 but then Metallurg capitalized on the power play a couple of times. We expected a better start, of course. After that, nothing worked. Today Metallurg was better, but the score in the series is equal. We return to Balashikha for the fifth game. It will be different.

– Why didn't your shorthanded play work out today? It was the best in the league!

– Today, Metallurg played well in the power play. Sometimes it is worth praising the opponent. Our shorthanded play remained at the same level, but Metallurg found something to surprise us with.

– You called the last game one of the best of the season. Was it the worst?

– Good question. Not the worst for sure, but one of the very bad ones. We lost the initiative at the beginning, gave up the puck and the advantage. Sometimes it happens. The opponent deserves this victory. They were the first on the puck, outplayed us. In the regular season, we had 3 points difference. And now in the playoffs, the score is also equal. The fight of two good teams continues.

– What happened to the team's condition today?

– I don't think that lost their strength. We did very poorly today, losing the middle zone. In the playoffs, you can't do this otherwise, the opponent punishes you. But we will analyze the mistakes and will move forward.

– What do you say about Kovalchuk in this series? He doesn't star yet.

– He is a great player, a team leader. He creates a lot of good chances, for example, a goal in the last game. Today we lost as a team, I will not mark anyone.

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Danila Yurov, Metallurg forward:

– It was a tough game, despite the score. The team fought. It's the playoffs. The score does not show the gist of the game.

– How difficult was the goal for you? I mean, you need to keep your emotions, sitting on the bench, and thinking that you may get no playing time.

– I took it calmly. I understood that at the end they could give me a shift to play for a minute. I went out on the ice calmly.

– Why didn't you come out to stand up for your partners when Komarov was fighting?

– So I was on the bench!

– How important was it to score to Avangard, because the mayor of Balashikha is also Yurov?

– I didn't know it! But it's definitely not the reason A coincidence.

– Did the fact that the Steel Foxes did not manage to move further in the playoffs affect your mood?

– Of course, I wanted to help them to pass the first round, but I found a new challenge for myself. Well, tomorrow I fly to join athe national team.

Kirill Semenov, Avangard forward:

– We started badly, the score is on the scoreboard. We turned on late, only in the third period we started beating the opponent. The score is 7-1, we failed to start. We are going to Balashikha to play there with a clear head. We will analyze the mistakes, we will prepare. The score in the series is 2-2.

– Did the confident victory in the previous game become a disservice?

– No, that's not the point. We started the match poorly, lost the fight. So here is the result on the scoreboard.