Two-time Olympic champion Igor Kravchuk has shared his analysis of the Gagarin Cup semifinal series between Lokomotiv and Avangard, which ended 4-3 in favor of Yaroslavl.
“During the Lokomotiv-Avangard series, I found myself thinking about the World Junior Championship. Those were also constant swings, and a lot depends on the psycho-emotional impulse. When Omsk took a 3-1 lead, they overestimated their strength and lost their emotional focus. Yaroslavl won the crucial fifth game, and with a shutout—that was the game where Omsk broke. Then came Game 6, and even at 0-2 with a minute left, you could feel Yaroslavl was calm and confident. And how could they not be confident when they have a playing coach like Alexander Radulov?”
What was the key factor in this semifinal?
“The injury to defenseman Sharipzyanov. He is the captain, the leader of Avangard’s defense, a system-defining player who logged nearly thirty minutes per game. At the end of the series, it was evident that Sharipzyanov was playing on one leg, and due to both the injury and fatigue, he couldn’t maintain his usual level. That’s why Omsk collapsed in the final stretches. I think the Avangard coaches were facing a very difficult choice. I respect Sharipzyanov’s courage, but I’m not sure it was the right coaching decision to send him out in that condition,” Kravchuk said.
