23 November 2023

Barys - Neftekhimik. Coaches' comments

After the Barys - Neftekhimik game (4:3 OT) there was a press conference with the participation of the head coaches of the teams.

Oleg Leontyev, head coach of Neftekhimik

- A hard match, a fighting match. At the beginning of the game, we had a slight advantage. We created good chances in the game. One of the key moments in the middle of the match - we conceded a goal on the power play, even though we had one more player. The end was also interesting. We could have both lost and saved the match. Well done, we showed character, fought until the end. Now every point earned is significant.

- Do the past matches with Barys - 0:8 and the offensive defeat at home in overtime, put a burden of responsibility??

- Of course, we remember that game, but we are now playing and going from match to match, and we don't keep anything in our minds on purpose. There were some different guys there. We made conclusions, now our guys are different.

- What is the big density in the KHL standings connected with?

- It was the same last season. The final table was decided by net wins. So, I think it will be the same this season. The league is levelling out, there are fewer internationals, new guys are appearing. So we are only happy that the championship is interesting, unpredictable. That's what we play for, to make it interesting for the audience to watch.

Galym Mambetaliev, acting head coach of Barys

- The game was, you could say, equal. We could have won the game in regulation time, but we couldn't hold on and conceded. It's good that we won in overtime. We tuned in for the game, analysed the opponent. It's a good opponent, he's on the move. The guys were good today, they gave themselves completely to the game.

- Why were Cerveny, Barber and Labate not in the lineup today?

- Cerveny is sick. Barber and Labate were decided not to play for the time being. They didn't play well on the trip.

- Boyarkin played well at the Continental Cup. Are there any thoughts to involve him in matches in Barys in the near future?

- We'll look into it. We have a goaltending coach, as he says. If Nikita is 100 per cent ready, we can try him out.

- After the Continental Cup, Ruslan Ospanov and Maxim Musorov came out today in Barys jerseys. Ruslan scored the first goal. How do you assess the young players?

- We had planned to bring Ospanov to Barys before. It's just that he was declared for the Continental Cup, so we gave Musorov and him. They are progressing, good guys.