Mitchell Miller, defenseman for Ak Bars, shared his thoughts following the first game of the Gagarin Cup final against Lokomotiv, which ended in a 1-3 loss.
“It wasn’t our best game. We lost 1-3, but we fought until the end. It’s only the first game of the series, so it’s not that important. We need to come out more energized in the next one and see what happens,” Miller said.
When asked about the team’s struggles after failing to capitalize on power plays in the first period, Miller admitted, “Giving up two quick goals wasn’t good, but we battled back and created a lot of chances. It wasn’t our best performance, but we’ll analyze it and try to play our best hockey in the second game.”
On how to stop Alexander Radulov, Miller emphasized, “Everyone in the KHL deserves to be there, not just him. There are many skilled players. We shouldn’t focus solely on him. We need to move the puck away from our zone and not let him screen Timur Bilyalov. Box-out and team play are what we need.”
Discussing his own goal, Miller noted, “I played the situation, but we didn’t execute well on the power play today. If we get four or five opportunities in the next game, we have to score on at least three of them. We need to review the tape and move forward. Even-strength play also requires full team effort.”
Regarding the fact that this was the first time in the playoffs Ak Bars lost the opening game of a series, Miller said, “I don’t think it matters much whether you win or lose the first game. Nobody remembers after winning the series. We just need to keep working together as a team, move forward, and win.”
