“Ak Bars” - CSKA - 5: 2. Account in the series: 1-0.
Jan paid
From the picture it was difficult to understand clearly what this hockey player rolled for the next scene. It seems that after the goal he was hit by one of the Ak Bars players. He paid, having waited for the judges to pay attention to him, he climbed to answer. On the way he pushed the referees. He began to insult one of them. Got a fine match. He refused to leave the site. The coach, partners began to unnerve. There was a complete feeling that the army team was going to leave the site in full force.
Paid - the most controversial acquisition of Vyacheslav Bykov this season. In defense, he plays somehow, often going to the court as the seventh defense player. He has experience in fighting in the AHL, but, having fallen on Simpson, he immediately pretended to be dead, and then he told everyone what kind of bully plays in Chekhov. Because of Paid, by the way, the army team had once ridiculed when they stood up for the Czech after the match with Vityaz. That's when they ask - “why do we need such legionnaires?” - the first candidate was Jan Platil.
Vyacheslav Bykov
The defeat from Ak Bars is entirely the merit of the head coach of the army club. And it was very interesting what a specialist would come up with, who in a month would have to train the national team at the World Cup. There, after all, each opponent will be approximately like Kazan. And everyone has their own strengths that need to be neutralized. And constantly something new is required.
CSKA decided to play as in the championship. Great forces forward, and behind - how it goes. Playing open hockey with Ak Bars is no less frivolous than running a race with a car. No other trump cards were found. Moreover, a feeling that was not invented.
Alexander Stepanov
Scored three points in this match (two goals and a pass). Probably because Anastasia Myskina decided to go to the fifth game in Ufa, and not the fourth - to Mytishchi. Well done - he proved by deed who is who.
What's next
CSKA will have another attempt to play correctly after Kazantsev - from defense, “second number”. True, a quality goalkeeper is needed for this as air. And in the first match we saw that Konstantin Simchuk may not always drag. Ivan Kasutin, for all his prospects, is unlikely to be able to give out at least one masterpiece match in the playoffs. Yes, and Bykov, in order to put him in, it’s necessary to guess how.
In addition, CSKA need less nervousness and retire. They get too much fine on emotions.
The Kazan club does not make sense to change anything. But you should not relax. And then again you have to be nervous, win a victory in shootouts or overtime. Before the finals, it will not hurt to save strength. Because in the other pair - animals, not rivals.
Alexey Shevchenko