Kvartalnov, Lyuzenkov react to Lokomotiv-Sibir 2:1

Lokomotiv beat Sibir 2:1 on the road on Sunday in the KHL's Fonbet Championship.

Sibir head coach Yaroslav Lyuzenkov put the defeat down to missed chances rather than the run of play.

"Good, tight game, there was a stretch when we were closed down pretty well. We had decent chances to take points off opponents like that. But unfortunately, we're struggling with converting chances right now," Lyuzenkov said.

Asked whether captain Nikita Korshkov is coping with the pressure of leading the team, Lyuzenkov declined to comment: "You'd better ask him that question. I don't want to comment on that." Asked what he feels is missing from Korshkov's game, he said one word: "Energy."

Lyuzenkov also addressed the timeline for Yevgeni Kuznetsov's return. The 34-year-old forward has missed Sibir's last two matches through injury. He joined Sibir in August on a one-year deal and has 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 games for the Novosibirsk club.

"We'll see what condition Kuznetsov is in — he wants to play in the next game," Lyuzenkov said.

Lokomotiv coach Dmitri Kvartalnov was less satisfied despite the win, pointing to his side's power play.

"Interesting game. The only thing is, on the power play in the last minute [of the second period] we conceded that goal. But it didn't scare the lads or throw them off. They played it out well and saw the match through to the win," Kvartalnov said. Asked about the wholesale changes to his lines after defeats, he added: "There are things happening within the team, we're missing a few of the lads. I can't go into much detail, but all the changes were made for a reason." On his leading players, he said: "We haven't scored many goals on this trip. In the last game and this one we've had enough chances. And the power play, of course, has to work. It's all been decent, but it keeps slipping away." He confirmed forward Damir Kayumov will return for the next match, against Sibir.

Sibir travel to face Lokomotiv again on 30 September. Kuznetsov's possible return, and whether Korshkov finds his scoring touch, will shape how that fixture goes.