"Radulov was his own man from the first minute he was in the locker room."

The outgoing year was very productive for the hockey players of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. In the spring, for the first time in 15 years, the Railroaders reached the Gagarin Cup final. And in the fall, they immediately became the leaders of the new regular season and remain so at the end of December, 11 points ahead of their nearest pursuer, CSKA Moscow. Even with the Army team having played three fewer games, the lead is very impressive.

In the last two games, Lokomotiv showed high performance, defeating Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (5-0) and Vityaz Balashikha (5-3). In an interview with Izvestia, Yaroslavl forward Daniil Tesanov explained the reasons for so many goals scored, explained why the team is leading in the regular season, and how the team has been strengthened by star forward Alexander Radulov, who arrived in the summer.

- There are a lot of high-scoring games in the KHL this week, like yours against Vityaz. Is this a trend in the league?

- I think it's a coincidence. A series of mistakes that led to goals. I don't see a trend.

- But why did Lokomotiv score 10 goals in the last two games?

- We just fulfill the coach's assignment, as we are able to do it. When we do it as well as possible, you can see the score on the scoreboard, which was in the last matches.

- What led to such a clear leadership of the team in the regular season?

- Proper recovery, nutrition, sleep. I think that's the secret to winning.

- What has Lokomotiv improved in this season?

- Psychology.

- Is that the only thing that prevented them from beating Metallurg in the spring finals of the Gagarin Cup?

- One of them. We've added to our psychology since then.

- What did Alexander Radulov, who came to Lokomotiv in the summer, bring to the team?

- Plus one more experienced player. A titled player. He has a huge amount of experience both here in Russia and abroad. This is a huge plus for the team.

- How does he communicate with the young players, which partly includes you, the 23-year-old?

- The same as with everyone. He immediately joined the team. You could say, he became his own from the first minute he appeared in the locker room.

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- Does he communicate on equal terms with everyone?

- Yes, yes, of course. Absolutely on equal terms with everyone, despite his numerous successes and rich experience. He understands when to get the guys going, when to support them. And it helps the whole team a lot.

- After the next game with Minsk "Dynamo" you will have six days of pause in the regular season, while many teams have only four. Is it enough for hockey players to fully celebrate the New Year? How much do you have to restrain yourself at the table compared to your family and friends who don't play hockey?

- In what way do you restrain yourself?

- To simplify the question, do you have to give up champagne and Olivier salad?

- I will say that my family is non-drinking. And I don't have any strong desire in this regard. That's why the word "restrain" doesn't even really fit here - I don't have any cravings for what you mean. I just need to spend the holiday quietly with my family and close friends. And get ready for the next games. It's a long season. This year it's going to run through May. So you have to be as ready as possible to play well.