CSKA's first home game of the season was against Admiral from Primorye.
The visitors opened the scoring. On 3 minutes, Pavel Shen was in the right place at the right time after Sulak's shot and put the puck into the net 1:0. Ten minutes later, the Army team equalized the score. The same Shen was sent to the penalty box for hooking. The Moscow team used their attempt to convert the many men advantage for 100% - 1:1. Toward the end of the first period, the Sailors got another penalty. And this time CSKA found a gap in Admiral's defense and played competently against Ilya Konovalov, 2:1. In the 31st minute, Ruslan Iskhakov may have scored the puck of the month. In a fall, he managed to pass the puck into the corner of the net. The goalie of the Primorye team had no time to react, 3:1. Two minutes later, Nikita Sedov handled the puck a bit sloppy, hitting Shen's face with his stick. He got a two-minute penalty for that. It was Admiral's turn to convert the many men advantage. Libor Sulak did so, sending the puck into the Army Men's goal from afar, 3:2.
The difference in the score is minimal. There was hope for a comeback, as it was in the game with Kunlun RS. But it was another game. As Andrei Arshavin said: “Your expectations are your problems.” CSKA scored three goals in the third period, Admiral scored none. Abramov and Sorkin scored. Sorkin made a hat trick in this game. Final score 6:2
CSKA - Admiral 6:2
Venue: CSKA Arena (Moscow)
6170 spectators
Chief referees: 41. Dmitry Belyaev, 13. Sergei Kulakov
Line referees: 73. Sergei Yegorov, 66. Parikov Yaroslav
About the game:
0-1 (Admiral).16 Shen Pavel, assistants: 73 Sulak Libor, 18 Starkov Stepan; 1-1 (CSKA).11 Abramov Vitaly, assistants: 71 Okulov Konstantin, 89 Nesterov Nikita D. PP; 2-1 (CSKA).27 Sorkin Maxim, assists: 89 Nikita D. Nesterov, 71 Konstantin Okulov PP; 3-1 (CSKA).43 Ruslan Iskhakov, assists: 98 Mamin Maxim V; 3-2 (Admiral).73 Sulak Libor, Assists: 93 Sergei Shmelyov, 20 Giovanni Fiore. PP; 4-2 (CSKA).11 Vitaly Abramov, assists: 13 Poltapov Prokhor, 27 Sorkin Maxim; 5-2 (CSKA).27 Sorkin Maxim, assistants: 94 Kamenev Vladislav, 11 Abramov Vitaly. PP; 5-2 (CSKA).27 Sorkin Maxim, assists: 94 Kamenev Vladislav, 11 Abramov Vitaly. PP; 6-2 (CSKA).27 Sorkin Maxim, assistants: 13 Poltapov Prokhor, 11 Abramov Vitaly.
Press conference of head coaches
Ilya Vorobyov, CSKA head coach:
— The start was average, then we gained strength, everything got better. I was pleased with today’s power play. Guys’ performance wasn’t so active in the first period, maybe because this was the first home game, this is a new roster. But then we got going.
— Dmitry Samorukov was the assistant captain last game, today Konstantin Okulov was in this position. How can this be explained?
— A lot of people do that now, they have four assistants. Someone plays with assistant captain patch in home matches, someone in away matches.
— Can you say that today the team played well on offense in all three periods?
— I didn't like the first period very much. Maybe it's because it was the first game at home.
— The team had three converted many men advantages today - how did they manage to prepare guys so well?
— We were supposed to have a day off on September 6. But in the end, we had a training session and practiced power play.
— What can you say the game of Ruslan Iskhakov?
— He has great hockey intelligence. Self-made people, played in different leagues and countries, are usually very competent.
— The third five, except for Iskhakov, was not active today. Are there no concerns that the guys who came from overseas will have a long acclimatization period?
— As I said in the summer, I hope this period of acclimatization will be short, and they will play to their full.
— What was the reason for the breakthrough in the third period? Before that it was an even game.
— We’ve prepared everything for it in the second one. Admiral even had a slight advantage in the first period, but then we started to play our own game, aggressively.
Leonids Tambijevs, head coach of Admiral:
— The opponent showed us where we need to progress. We failed in the penalty kill, we took a lot of penalties, and that decided the outcome of the game. The skill of CSKA players allows us to convert such opportunities. I liked the game in terms of offensive content until the score was 3:2. The fourth goal broke us. We'll adjust what we need.
— Why don’t you put young players?
— We don't have well-prepared for the KHL level young players. We have to raise them ourselves. They have to be competitive, not thirteenth forwards or seventh defensemen.
— How much has CSKA changed compared to last season?
— I follow my team more. CSKA has a strong selection, the goal is to win the Gagarin Cup, and that it. It's a high level. How much has changed is not the question I can answer.
— Will Admiral be able to fight for the playoffs this season?
— I'd say we're ready. We're rebuilding the game considering what I have in my hands. There are details that need to be corrected. There's a group of players that I believe in and that believe in me. I wouldn't mind a couple of quality players, but they cost a lot of money.
— Does Admiral want to add experienced free agents?
— You have to understand what you're hiring a player for. Nowadays, names don't mean anything. You need speed, sharpness, youth and energy. But there aren't many guys like that. The League lays down the rules.
