Avangard - SKA. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Oleg Znarok:

- Today, I think that we had our worst start to a game this season. Probably, we had a poor first period because we didn't warm up well. However, we improved later on and managed to win.

- Why did SKA put the pressure on during the last ten minutes?

- We had more energy and were better prepared.

HC Avangard Omsk head coach Andrei Skabelka:

- We had a great start to the match, and the conceded goals came against the run of play. During the first fifteen minutes, we moved well and created chances inside SKA's zone. However, the two goals conceded in the opening period took their toll - SKA got into the game and begun to create scoring opportunities. In the third period, we wanted to catch SKA on the counterattack and force them into taking a penalty, but it didn't happen. I thank the guys for their performance, the commitment was there but that isn't enough to beat a team like SKA.

- What happened after the first fifteen minutes?

- A match last sixty minutes. SKA played in our zone and scored on their chances, it was like a cold shower for us. We were attacking, but we conceded goals.

- Did Avangard keep their discipline until the end of the match?

- Not in the second period. We started dumping the puck in the zone, but we had asked our players not to do this because SKA close down the spaces well. In the third period, we stuck to the game plan - we wanted to play on the counterattack and force SKA into taking penalties. It didn't happen, but until we took that 5+20 penalty, I liked how we played in the third frame.

- Why couldn't your players score on their chances?

- Maybe nerves had an effect. However, we have missed golden chances in other matches too. Maybe it's because the players want to score a bit too hard. Nevertheless, the fact that we are creating chances give us optimism. We need to work on our finishing.