Press conference after second overtime victory against Lada at home

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"Another dramatic match in Saint Petersburg! Having competed in an emotionally-draining game against Dynamo Moscow on Monday, I knew that it would be difficult today. We improved after a somewhat average first period, even though we did then waste a number of opportunities. Tolyatti are a mobile, organised side which competes in a compact manner in defence. All of our thoughts are now on tomorrow's game in Moscow."

Danil Aimurzin not receiving much ice time...

"Our new players are still adapting. The same issue concerns Linus Weissbach, who impressed during pre-season. However, official matches are completely different in terms of their intensity and level. We hope that Danil will play better in our upcoming games."

Why Nikolai Knyzhov didn't play...

"He's also still adapting to our team. Nikolai is intelligent and skates well, but we want him to think quicker. For a defenseman it's important to not only maintain shape and break up the play, but to also contribute in attack. It's a long season, so we're not going to draw any conclusions now."

Only competing with six defensemen...

"Unlike last season, this time we're playing without the young guys who were in the line-up only because of the age regulations. We don't want players sitting on the bench watching; we need talented guys who are capable of playing at this level. Our players have experience of competing in North America, where it's the norm to play with only six defensemen."

Factor of playing in Moscow tomorrow...

"Instead of flying to Moscow, we've decided to take the night train. We'll depart at 00:40, arriving at 09:30. This is the reality of the time which we're living in. It's not easy for players to fall asleep after matches, but I hope that the motion of travelling on a train will help them and they'll be able to sleep six or seven hours. We dined following the completion of this match.

"Our plan of action is to take a walk around Moscow tomorrow, analyse video footage and subsequently have a rest. Regardless of the schedule, we must give our all when taking to the ice.

"Vladislav Syomin, Matvei Korotky and Rocco Grimaldi will all play on Thursday, as will Knyzhov, probably. 

"Normally we would fly to Moscow, but we don't want to risk sitting in the airport for hours on end. We have the opportunity to rest on the train and get some sleep."

Yegor Savikov's individual effort in OT...

"We want our players to show creativity! Take a look at Nikolai Goldobin: he reads the game differently to other players, and he is now showing great work ethic. The same applies for Vasily Atanasov, for example. It's important for our players to have the freedom to be creative and put together intelligent plays."

HC Lada Tolyatti head coach Pavel Zubov:

"We had the chance to win 1:0. Sadly, as a result of committing a poor systematic mistake late on, we conceded and didn't manage to claim the extra point. When we start playing at 100% and not just 99%, we will begin winning matches."