Grishin hails Neftekhimik's scoring after 6:3 win over Barys

Grishin said the game went as he expected before the match — open, sharp at both ends, with chances for both sides. Neftekhimik's second period decided it: the visitors converted their opportunities and were effective in both the power play and the penalty kill. Barys pushed back in the third period, switching to three forward lines, but Neftekhimik held on from the midway point and closed the game out.

Before the round, Neftekhimik had six wins from nine games, Barys five from eight — the two sides sat close together on points lost, and both play in the same conference. Grishin was asked whether that closeness added an edge to the fixture.

He said Neftekhimik had prepared no special plan for any individual Barys player, despite knowing the home side scores heavily this season and has strong forwards. The team, he said, is now scoring far more freely than it did last season, when goals were a problem.