Klim Kostin explains fight with Admiral's Konstantin Luchevnikov
CSKA forward Klim Kostin says he dropped his gloves as a fight seemed unavoidable and blamed pent-up frustration from missing games after illness.
CSKA Moscow forward Klim Kostin said he dropped his gloves against Admiral defenceman Konstantin Luchevnikov because he believed the fight could not be avoided in the incident.
"In the incident, it seemed to me that the opponent was being aggressive towards me and wanted to fight himself. So I did not wait and dropped my gloves, I thought there was no getting away from a fight now," Kostin said. The fight came in the middle of the second period.
"Negative emotions from missing games had been building up, I could not help the team. Watching from the stands is the worst feeling. Probably that is what spilled over into the fight," Kostin said.
The 27-year-old had played only 2 games this season before Monday's away fixture in the Fonbet KHL, which CSKA won 4-3 on a shootout. Kostin scored twice.
"It is hard coming back after illness. I was a bit unlucky, and could not get back. First one thing bothered me, then another. The coaches took care of that, eased me into the game through fairly heavy training sessions and helped me return in the best shape possible at this moment. That I scored and the team won is a good first step. The negative emotions are behind me. We were all filled with adrenaline and positivity," he said.
It was CSKA's third win in a row. They have 8 points from 7 games and sit fourth in the Western Conference. On 23 September they travel to Amur.
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