16 January 2023

KHL. Barys – Sibir. Trainer's comments (video)

After the match Barys – Sibir (1:2) a press conference was held with the Head Trainers of both teams.

Andrei Martemyanov, Sibir's Head Trainer

- As we suspected, the match was very tense. We understood that our opponent had to get into the eighth. And that's how it turned out. I'm grateful to the guys for defending today. Opponent very persistently wanted to score a goal. Goalie played pretty well. They scored some good effort goals. It makes me happy. The commitment was at a good level. There are some complaints about the game's content. When we get home, we'll analyze it. There are small problems with the lineup as well, but they are solvable.

- In the first period, the first division did not immediately engage - a missed puck and there was no giveback.

- One person didn't get energized, the other two were energized at once.

- What did you say to Alexander Sharov after the match?

- In terms of content of his game, it's the individual moment, it's one of his best matches. He played practically without mistakes. He pressed well and worked on his shooting. It was one of his best games of the season, for sure.

- How unhappy were you that you didn't have a shot on goal for 13 minutes in the second period?

- Of course, I wasnt. The opponent has pushed us down very hard. They kept the puck for a long time, hiding behind the goal. Nothing was said about that, but we'll work on it. Moments of leaving the zone are practiced practically on every play. They were holding on to the puck for a very long time. Although in the first period it was almost nonexistent. The puck went between the defensemen, and they started the attack well. Nothing foretold such a game in the second period. The opponent has added a lot. We defended ourselves stubbornly.

Andrei Skabelka, Barys Head Trainer

- We let go, of course, a winning moment. I wouldn't say we played badly. - It took a lot of energy. Probably the first period was equal with some moments with Sibir. The second one wasn't bad. In the third, we spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. We are punished for the slightest loss of concentration. Enough of these two "easy" goals were missed. We have great difficulty with them. We're going to reshape it. Now we have a tough series ahead of us, six games a day. Tomorrow we will rest and get ready.

- The transfer window is closed and no breaks are expected until the end of the regular season. What sort of remedial tools do you see to correct the situation?

- We've been going with this team all season. We did not change the players, so we will use only internal reserves. Guys know how to play, they proved it. Know how to play well and win. I repeat, it's us from the Far East, the winning moment is gone. We'll think, we'll reconsider. No one agrees with that: not us, not the guys.

- With Sibir this season are very tight games, a maximum difference of two pucks. Is this a consequence of the fact that both teams are similar in style?

- Maybe it is. Sibir's situation is a little different. They've gained a winning stride, going quite high. They learned to play to win. At the same time, it may be that they are losing the initiative, but they play almost all the games that way. We play with the puck, we want to play, we combine and create a lot, but we can't play all 60 minutes with full concentration.