Roman Rotenberg speaks ahead of the third round of the KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- What have you been focusing on during your preparation for the semi-finals of the 2021/2022 KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs against CSKA Moscow?

- Both of these teams know each other well. These are two equal teams, interesting matches are awaiting us.

- Many thought that the new wage cap would allow more teams to fight for a place in the semi-finals, but once again SKA and CSKA are here. Have these clubs adapted to the situation better than anyone else?

- Over the course of many years, we've been creating a foundation and reserves, working individually with the coaches and players. We have been preparing psychologically and physically. SKA, SKA-Neva and SKA-1946 have all qualified for the semi-finals of their respective competitions, this says a lot about our systematic approach. We're constantly making changes to our approach, studying world tendencies and signing players who fit our philosophy. The fact that we are always one of the leading teams and are winning playoff games proves that we're on the right path. At the same time, there's no limit to perfection, so we are continuing to work hard while not looking back in the past. The main thing right now is our next game.

- You only scored twice on the powerplay against Spartak Moscow in the quarter-final series. Does this concern you?

- We have a lot of reserves. It's clear that we can play better, this is something which the players understand very well. We're constantly working on our mistakes, everyone is working really hard every day. Special teams are an important part of the game, we are trying to improve this component and to surprise our opponents. We are aiming at improving our powerplay in the next series.

- SKA have always won the Gagarin Cup when having qualified for the final. Is this team ready to earn a championship title?

- As I have already said, we're only focusing on the next match. Let's not look too far ahead.

- Will Joonas Kemppainen play in the next match? He would help the likes of Nikita Gusev, Andrei Kuzmenko and Anton Burdasov.

- We have injured players, including Joonas. We'll reveal the line-up one hour before the game. For obvious reasons, we are not going to give anything away now. We play as well as the opponents allow us to.

- Alexei Zhamnov assists Spartak, while Sergei Gonchar helps Traktor Chelyabinsk. Who is helping SKA?

- SKA helps SKA! All club employees and fans are helping the team. I would once again like to thank our fans for their fantastic support, we are looking forward to seeing them at the Ice Palace tomorrow. We can only help ourselves, but naturally we're also open to dialogue, advice and consultations. A coach's job is to improve with every passing day.

- Have you decided which goalkeeper will play for you?

- It would be boring if I revealed all of our information to you now. Our line-up will be revealed one hour before puck-drop.