Defenseman of Ak Bars, Ilya Karpukhin, shared his thoughts on the emotional and physiological factors ahead of the Gagarin Cup final series against Lokomotiv.
– “Lokomotiv is riding a wave of emotion after an incredible semifinal. Will it be tough to stop such a team?”
– “This is the final, anything can happen. They’re likely on an emotional high, but that shouldn’t concern or worry us at all. We need to focus not on the opponent first, but on ourselves, our game, and our actions. Think about ourselves first. Their condition, mindset, and emotional state don’t really matter to us.”
– “There’s always the dilemma: what’s better – being in game shape or having rest?”
– “Now we’ll see and find out. It’s a double-edged sword. From a physiological standpoint, I think we have the advantage. The human body is limited in its resources, so that should play a role. They’ve had less rest, while we’ve had more. We’ll see how it goes,” Karpukhin said in an interview with Championat correspondent Rustam Imamov.
The Gagarin Cup final series between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars begins tomorrow, May 11, in Yaroslavl.
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