Former Russian national team head coach Vladimir Krikunov shared his analysis of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s 3-1 victory over Ak Bars Kazan in the first game of the Gagarin Cup final series.
“The first period was evenly matched, but Lokomotiv struck quickly with two goals in the second period. Those were well-executed goals, and Ak Bars couldn’t turn the tide. Yaroslavl knows how to grind out wins, and here they played with confidence throughout. They could have scored more, but it didn’t happen.”
Krikunov attributed Kazan’s struggles partly to their longer break between series: “Ak Bars seemed a bit off their game rhythm—their pause was longer than Lokomotiv’s. Maybe they relaxed a bit after the previous rounds. I wouldn’t rule out this series going to seven games, because the chances are even,” he said.
