Artyom Anisimov and Mikhail Grigorenko speak about the first 2018 World Championship match

Russian national team forwards Artyom Anisimov and Mikhail Grigorenko spoke about the opening 2018 World Championship match against France after Saturday's training session.

Russian national team forward Artyom Anisimov:

- I had planned a holiday before coming here, but when I received the call-up, I had to cancel my tickets. Nevertheless, I did have a chance to rest and gather energy after the NHL season. Is Pavel Buchnevich similar to either Artemiy Panarin or Patrick Kane? Pavel plays in his own style, it's hard to compare players to each other, they all have their own different qualities. Every game is important at the World Championship, you can't understimate the opponents. Any team can spring a surprise. I know Thomas Vanek from the Austrian national team. After the game against France, it became clear that we have to play more solidly in defence and perform better without the puck.

Russian national team forward Mikhail Grigorenko:

- We played well yesterday, earning a positive result along the way. Nevertheless, the poor second period reminded us that we still need to keep improving. I feel comfortable playing either in the middle or on both wings, during the past few years I have often played on the flanks. Following today's training session, I decided to work on my shooting skills, we won't have a morning skate before tomorrow's early match against Austria. We felt more pressure at the Olympic Games, everyone expected us to win, but at the World Championship there are more matches. Mentally, it's easier at the World Championship. Kirill Kaprizov scored twice against France? Everyone knows that Kirill is one of the best players in Russia, it's not surprising that he started the competition so well.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation