Press conference after SKA defeated Salavat Yulaev at the Ice Palace

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

“I would like to congratulate our team with the win! Naturally enough, it was a tough game. Furthermore, as a consequence of having not played at home for a long time, it was challenging for us to play with the required focus. There were nerves present, but the guys played with discipline and displayed their best qualities. Of course, Sergei Ivanov deserves a lot of credit for his performance in net too.”

Two shutouts in a row…

“It’s always nice to win without conceding! However, just like I said in Kazakhstan, at times we’re presenting our opponents with too many clear opportunities. It’s pleasing, though, that we are playing the right way and giving our goalkeeper the chance to earn a shutout. Our confidence is consequently increasing.

“Before the third period started, we told our players that it’s vital that we make the right decisions both with and without the puck. This depends a lot on our defensemen, and new coach Boris Mironov has made a difference here. 2:0 is the most dangerous scoreline in any sport.”

Momentum shift having previously losing seven straight…

“We held a group discussion following our defeat to Spartak in Moscow. Since then, our guys have started to show their leadership qualities. Our players are beginning to understand what we want to see from them. Nevertheless, we don’t want to stop here! It’s always dangerous when you become over-confident.”

How SKA didn’t allow Ufa to control possession…

“Salavat are a good side which had won six on the bounce coming into this one. They play a speedy brand of ice hockey, and they possess plenty of strong players on their books. Having lost in Bashkortostan earlier on in the season while producing a good performance, we wanted to gain revenge. We had to be compact, organised and pay special attention to their foreigners.”

Why Valentin Zykov and Joe Blandisi didn’t play…

“Valentin is carrying a lower-body injury. Hopefully, we will have more of an understanding about the nature of his injury in a week’s time. We don’t want to rush his recovery.

“Joe has a minor knock. His symptoms suggested that it was a serious injury, but thankfully the MRT proved that the situation is a lot more positive than expected. I think that he will be ready to play against Vladivostok.”

HC Salavat Yulaev Ufa head coach Viktor Kozlov:

“This wasn’t our best performance. Unfortunately, SKA immediately punished us for the mistakes which we committed. Yes, we could have scored while playing shorthanded, but their goalkeeper was solid. I think that we lost possession regularly as a consequence of the puck taking odd bounces on the ice.”

Why Salavat couldn’t score a single goal against an attack-minded SKA team…

“Our penalties prevented us from earning points. Apart from the first period, were forced to defend for practically the entire game. We couldn’t find any rhythm when having the opportunity to play 5-on-5.”