"We can go beyond the second round of the playoffs"

The new KHL season started at the end of last week. Spartak Moscow kicked off with a difficult 4-3 home victory over Sochi. This championship is the first for the red-whites after the departure of one of the brightest strikers of the league, Nikolai Goldobin, whose link with Ivan Morozov and Pavel Ordin delighted the audience for three years with high performance and beautiful play. Adam Ruziczka is now playing in Spartak's first attacking three.

In an interview with Izvestia, Pavel Ordin explained how his team's game has changed, appreciated the team's start and shared his opinion on what needs to be improved in order to surpass the club's results in the two previous playoffs - the second round.

— How would you assess the state of the team at the start of the season?

— The condition is good. If we take the first game, we were a little nervous, because we missed the official matches. But after the first period, we felt better in terms of the feeling of the game. And when in the middle of the match, with the score 1:2 in favor of the opponent, they realized the majority of "5 on 3" and "5 on 4" within a minute and came out ahead, they began to act more confidently. At the same time, we made mistakes during the match that we shouldn't make if we want to go out. However, it's good that we won in the end and started the season positively.

— In recent years, your opponent has almost always finished last in the Western Conference in the first match and has not competed for the playoffs. Did Sochi impress the team that improved this time? Or does the minimum score mean more that Spartak didn't play well?

— Basically, both we and the opponent missed hockey during the offseason. That's why there were a lot of emotions and mistakes on both sides. In general, at the beginning of every season, everything starts with a clean slate for any team, so I wouldn't even look at which places Sochi or us occupied in previous years. Everyone wants to show themselves at the start. And if you start the season with a win, then it will be easier for you later. So the opponent gave his all in the match, just like us. And it's good that in this situation we were able to win despite all the difficulties.

— Has the necessary understanding already been found with Adam Ruziczka, who now plays in the link with you and Ivan Morozov?

— Something is already working out. But all the same, we still need to play to act even more successfully and confidently. In principle, we have certain tricks. There were good chances to score in the match against Sochi. And we managed to score in the majority, doing everything the way we had previously trained when playing too much. But we need to play even better "5 on 5" — to be more aggressive at other people's gates.

— What is the difference between your team's game with a Shotgun compared to the days of Nikolai Goldobin?

— I won't say that something has changed a lot. Except that Ruzha is a slightly different player in terms of size than Goldoba. We know Adam's strengths and try to use them. In any case, if everyone in our top three uses their best qualities, then we will be very effective and help Spartak. If Vanya and Ruzha are bigger than me, then they fight better. I need to hold the puck more and not do their work for them, but do what I do best. To do what is required of me. If each of us acts based on our strengths, then everything will work out for us. And there will be good results.

— During Alexey Zhamnov's three seasons as Spartak's head coach, everyone has already become accustomed to a vibrant attacking style of play, which generally does not change. But are there any individual points that he adjusted before the current regular season?

— The exact nuances have changed, but I won't say what exactly, otherwise I'll tell you, there are a lot of subscribers who listen and read a lot (laughs). Moreover, the basic things remained the same anyway. For example, that defenders, if there is an opportunity to go forward, they immediately deploy attacks and go to someone else's zone.

— Is the team in its current form ready to surpass previous results and advance to the playoffs beyond the second round?

— I think so. In terms of potential, we can achieve much more than the second round. The main thing is for me and the other guys who stayed from last season to draw conclusions from the last championship. And everything will be fine with us. We have a large army of fans who support us. And they expect even better results from us. We showed in the last playoffs that it's possible. You just need to rebuild your head a little bit and clearly understand what can and cannot be done.

— What conclusions should be drawn?

— That's a good question... Let's start with the training process — we need to give it our best and avoid any loose moments. If you need to throw the puck away somewhere and play easier, then play easier. Such nuances need to be corrected, and then we have a very good chance of improving the results.