Grishin blames Neftekhimik fitness after 2:6 loss at Metallurg

Neftekhimik head coach Igor Grishin blamed the 2:6 defeat at Metallurg on fitness as much as nerves, saying his side's game depends on players being in peak physical condition.

Neftekhimik came into the Fonbet KHL Championship fixture top of the Eastern Conference. Grishin said the gap opened from the second period, noting that "from the second period there were two teams of different levels on the ice. There is nothing more to say."

He traced it to 2 quick goals conceded, explaining that "for two periods the hosts mostly had the puck. We were only being pressed, or tried to do something, but it would not stay with us at all. And you cannot play without the puck."

Asked how that fitted with a team that had started the season confidently, Grishin pointed to the conditioning. "There are many factors and nuances here. It is not only psychology but also physical condition. Apparently not everything is in order with the team's fitness levels at the moment. We do not have so many elite players that we can win certain situations purely on individual skill," he said.

"Our game is largely built on the players being in good shape, moving a lot, skating well. That produces aggressive, good hockey. Drop slightly out of the optimal conditioning and the skill starts to run short, uncertainty appears. And you get two periods like today's, the second and the third."

If Grishin's diagnosis is right, the question for Neftekhimik is how quickly the conditioning can be restored, since the coach says the team has little else to fall back on.