Salavat Yulaev defender Komarov praised the victory over Neftekhimik

Salavat Yulaev Ufa defender Alexander Komarov summed up the results of the KHL regular season match against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. The meeting, which took place on Monday, October 12, in Ufa, ended with the victory of the hosts with a score of 4:3. According to Sportbox, Sheldon Rempal, who scored a double, Artem Efremov and Maxim Zagrebin scored goals for the Ufa club. Grigory Seleznev, Andrey Belozerov and Bulat Fedotov scored for the guests.

The hockey player noted the high intensity of the confrontation, calling the game of two good teams "a really fighting match." According to Komarov, both sides tried to achieve a positive result until the last moment. The defender stressed that it was fundamentally important for the team to win on home ice after an unsuccessful trip.

"It was very important for us. I don't want to remember that match. It's good that we were able to win at home today, please the fans and feel their support. It gives us additional emotions," said the defender, commenting on the need to rehabilitate himself after the recent defeat by Magnitogorsk Metallurg.

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Komarov singled out the game of striker Maxim Zagrebin. The defender stressed that his teammate's goal helped the team at the right moment and added confidence. Zagrebin scored the puck in the 52nd minute of the game, when Ufa was outnumbered. The assistant in this episode was Artem Efremov.

For the 21-year-old striker, this success was the continuation of a productive streak. According to the official website of HC Salavat Yulaev, by mid-October of the 2026/27 season, Maxim Zagrebin had played 15 matches, in which he scored 6 (2+4) points. It is noteworthy that the graduate of the Izhevsk hockey school scored his first goal in the KHL quite recently — on October 9 against Metallurg. Zagrebin joined the Ufa club system at the age of 16.

During the match with Neftekhimik, Salavat Yulaev's defenders had to face a serious workload, especially when playing in the minority. Komarov called this a normal working situation, adding that the field players tried to act as reliably as possible to help their goalkeeper. The defensive player praised the actions of the Ufa goalkeeper, noting that he did a great job and repeatedly helped the team out.

The victory over Nizhnekamsk allowed the Ufa club to improve its psychological state after a crushing defeat in Magnitogorsk. In that match on October 9, Salavat Yulaev lost to Metallurg with a score of 1:7. Then Ufa conceded three goals in the first four minutes of the game. At the time of that defeat, the team was in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points.