The new season began with an important signal from Barys — the team clearly has no intention of repeating the scenario of the previous championship. Last season, the Astana club failed to make the playoffs, while the offseason became a time for serious work on mistakes and strengthening the roster.
The first two games of the new championship suggest that this work is already beginning to pay off. Barys started with two impressive and extremely high-scoring victories: first, the team thrashed Sibir 7–1, and then defeated Salavat Yulaev in an even more goal-filled game, with the 8–6 scoreline becoming only the third such result in KHL history. That is 15 goals in two games.
Astana’s second game of the 19th KHL season was exactly the kind of match fans love: plenty of goals, emotions, battles and several stretches in which one team’s advantage quickly gave way to the other’s initiative. For Barys, the game was also a test of character: Salavat reduced the deficit several times, but the hosts managed to hold on to their lead and see the game through to victory.
Barys attacks a lot, is not afraid to shoot and tries to keep pushing forward even when the opponent takes the initiative. One of the players who has already contributed to this productive start is Dimash Kaiyrzhan. After the victory over the Ufa side, he explained why the team has started scoring so many goals, what it managed to change after last season and why it is particularly important for Barys in the current championship to remain productive without neglecting defense.
After the game, the player noted that the team had played well offensively, although it had not avoided mistakes. First and foremost, he said, Barys needed to play more simply in its own zone and be more attentive in the neutral zone.
«We played well on our side and converted our chances, but we need to play more simply in the defensive zone and not lose our positions in the neutral zone. We lost the neutral zone a couple of times and were punished for it. Salavat is a very good, highly skilled team. They punish you for mistakes like that».
The game also featured plenty of altercations. Emotions sometimes ran high, and the players literally had to force themselves not to respond to their opponents’ provocations. The Barys forward believes that in such situations, the most important thing is to remember the team’s interests and not give in to the opponent’s provocations.
«The opponent was provoking us. You have to be patient because you are doing it for the team. They can provoke us, we can hit them, and then we get the penalty while they don’t. The opponent does it deliberately, and you just have to ignore it and play hockey».
One of the most important moments of the game came when Salavat seized the initiative and came close to tying the score. Barys managed to weather that spell and then extend its lead again. Dimash said the team did not sit back and focus solely on protecting the result. Instead, the players continued to follow the coaching staff’s game plan.
«We didn’t start playing only defense; we played the way the coach told us to. We played the same way we did in the first and second periods. We attacked and tried to keep the puck in the offensive zone because if you keep possession in the attacking zone, it won’t get as far as your defense».
Kirill Lyapunov’s goal proved particularly important and, as Dimash noted, helped finally cool the opponent’s attacking momentum.
«It was good that Kirill Lyapunov scored, and you could say that we cooled the opponent’s momentum and then played out the rest of the game protecting the score».
Barys’ first two victories of the new season were both extremely high-scoring. As already noted, after putting seven past Sibir, the team scored another eight against Salavat Yulaev. Kaiyrzhan explained this productivity by pointing to the team’s persistence, high shooting volume and determination to make the most of its chances.
«It comes down to persistence and converting our chances. We also shoot a lot. As the coach tells us: “Shoot more and there will be more goals”».
Barys paid particular attention to the power play during the offseason. Last season, converting numerical advantages was one of the team’s problems, and over the summer the coaching staff worked to improve this aspect.
«We worked more on the power play. We played well on the penalty kill last season, but now we are paying a lot of attention to playing with a numerical advantage. We had time to analyze this component».
According to the player, the team focused on simplicity and shooting, and judging by the goals scored by Mikhail Kravets’ team, this approach has already begun to produce results in the opening games.
For Dimash himself, the offseason was also a period of work on his individual performance. Above all, he wanted to improve his finishing because he takes plenty of shots but does not always manage to turn an attack into a goal. The forward also specifically mentioned working on his defensive game.
«I also tried to convert my chances because I shoot a lot, but sometimes I can’t score and sometimes I miss. I also had problems with my defensive game. I started working on that too, analyzed my game and began playing more simply in defense in certain situations».
Mikhail Kravets continues to lead the team in the new season. According to Astana’s No. 13, there have been no radical changes to the playing system, with the coaching staff instead making targeted adjustments.
«Basically, nothing has changed. We changed our tactics a little and adjusted some small details».
Dimash is currently playing on the second line alongside Tyson Thompson and Alikhan Omirbekov. Both of his linemates are centers, but Kaiyrzhan does not see this as a problem: both are capable of playing effectively on the wing as well.
«Alikhan knows how to play on the wing, and Tys does it well too. So it’s actually great that there are two centers on my line. They know how to play defense, and that makes things easier for everyone, including me».
After an intense previous season, it was important for the player not only to prepare physically but also to give himself an opportunity to recover mentally. During the summer break from hockey, he tried to approach the new season with a sense of having fully reset.
«I recovered and rested because the season was intense and there was a lot of workload. Especially since I played almost all 68 games — I played 67. I took a little break from hockey because your head gets tired anyway, and I reset».
Fortunately, the player did not suffer any injuries. Now the task is to continue what Barys started in the new season: shoot often, convert chances, play more simply and, most importantly, remember that results are built not only on offense. The first two games showed that the team has the desire to play exactly this kind of hockey. And 15 goals scored provide fairly convincing evidence that Barys is determined to win.
