Sibir's Kuznetsov played through knee problem in win over Sochi

Sibir forward Yevgeny Kuznetsov played the 5-1 win over Sochi with a knee problem, head coach Yaroslav Luzenkov said afterwards. Kuznetsov did not register a point and took four minutes in the box.

Luzenkov said the trouble began before the game. "Yevgeny played on one leg, things keep going wrong for us everywhere," he said. "His knee locked up in the warm-up. We thought about playing with three centres, but he said he was ready to go out. We taped him up and he played the game."

The club returns home next. "We will run tests, and then it will be clear whether he can play in the home games," Luzenkov said.

He also spoke about special teams. "We scored on the power play and killed off the penalties. We blocked shots with our bodies. Scoring more than one goal is a good sign," he said.

Asked why Sibir went back to the forward lines used in pre-season, Luzenkov answered: "We showed that we believe in the lads, that the difficulties are temporary and hard work will sort it. They repaid us with a win."

If the tests show the knee needs rest, Sibir may have to use the three-centre arrangement Luzenkov said he considered before the game.