Nikitin Responds to Grus Remarks on Lokomotivs Goalie Isaev

The head coach of Lokomotiv, **Igor Nikitin**, has responded to comments made by the head coach of Traktor, **Benoit Grou**, who singled out goaltender **Daniil Isaev** as a weak link in the Yaroslavl team.

**— The third period saw an increase in activity in terms of face-offs and shots. What contributed to this improvement?**
— That’s statistics, but ultimately we lost. This is hockey, and sincerity matters here. Sometimes you play poorly, but give it your all, and that can lead to favorable bounces and nice ricochets. Perhaps we just lacked that today.

**— Surin mentioned that according to you, he should recall the MHL final, while other players should think of the previous Gagarin Cup final. Do you often use such methods?**
— You might have misinterpreted Yegor. I didn’t say that. What’s the point in recalling a past final when we’re in a new one? Our focus is on Traktor; in the last final, we faced Magnitogorsk.

**— Grou shared an interesting remark about Isaev before the series; did you see it?**
— Honestly, I hardly ever check social media. I pay little attention to what my colleagues are saying—especially when we’re opponents. There’s enough work to do otherwise. Daniil is an experienced player and it’s not serious to react to such comments, — Nikitin conveyed to Championat correspondent Sergey Emelyanov.