Boucher: Avangard's 1:5 loss to Metallurg not down to injuries
Avangard coach Guy Boucher blames structure and discipline, not injuries, for the 1:5 defeat by Metallurg, saying the score was 1:3 without empty-net goals.
Avangard head coach Guy Boucher said the 1:5 defeat by Metallurg had nothing to do with his side's injury list. "Today that is not the reason for the defeat," he said.
"The score is 1:3 if you leave out the empty-net goals, and today's defeat is absolutely not down to the fact that we have many injured players," Boucher said. "We moved away from our structure, created problems for ourselves and played illiterately, not the way we should."
He compared Metallurg with Spartak, the other opponent he named. "We met a fast, skilful opponent, just like Spartak, but we played nothing like we did in Moscow. We lost the puck a lot, and as a result the opponent played in the power play very often, but all our penalties were deserved. We did not act coolly enough and did not deserve to win."
If Boucher's account holds, the fix he is pointing to is discipline and structure rather than personnel. That may mean the injuries will not be the explanation Avangard reach for if the next game goes the same way.
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