Media briefing before the semi-finals of the Gagarin Cup playoffs

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- With 2300 fans in attendance, it was a great training session! Taking into account that there were so many people watching, the players trained to the limit. I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came to the Ice Palace today. We're working on the details ahead of the semi-finals, we have things to improve.

- Did you give your players a rest after your success in Nizhny Novgorod? And did Dmitrij Jaskin train on the ice today?

- We're training well while taking the recovery process into account. We are training on a daily basis. As you saw for yourselves today, the guys are in a determined mood. And yes, Dmitrij is training on the ice.

- After winning your quarter-final series 4-0, you've now got a long break before the next round. Will this affect your performance in the semi-finals?

- We're training using the same tempo which we see in matches. We understand how to make sure that everyone's ready, we've been doing this for the entire season. We played so well at the start of the season thanks to the intensity of our training sessions.

- Are you watching the series between CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl?

- I'm keeping an eye on all games which are taking place, including those abroad. We are taking notes from the CSKA - Lokomotiv series. We don't mind who we play against, we're preparing in accordance with our own system. The KHL has now confirmed that our semi-final series will begin next Sunday, so this gives us the opportunity to prepare accordingly.

- Does not knowing your opponents make your task of preparing for the next round tougher?

- We know what to expect. We've participated in a lot of matches against all opponents this season. Just like in Formula 1, the mechanics now have the chance to make the required improvements and adjustments. We don't have any secrets, it's all down to hard work and discipline.

HC SKA defenseman Alexander Nikishin:

- It was a positive training session for us. Thank you to the supporters who came to the stadium, there was more in attendance today in comparison to our last open training. The gave us energy with their wonderful support. During this break, we're working on the aspects of our game which were lacking in the quarter-finals.

HC SKA forward Dmitrij Jaskin:

- Will I play in the semi-finals? Let's see. I certainly hope so! We're training in accordance with our system. CSKA and Lokomotiv are awkward opponents for us? They are both similiar teams. Games against them are always tight and physical, and I don't think that we'll see anything different in the semi-finals. Matches involving those two teams don't often contain a lot of goals. When we played against them in the regular season, there weren't many goals either. Nothing will change in our series.

HC SKA forward Nikita Komarov:

- Is it a good thing that we having a long break before the semi-finals as a consequence of sweeping Nizhny Novgorod? Yes, I think it is, because we consequently have more time in which to recover effectively. It's no secret that we are working on our powerplay, but we're also improving different aspects of our approach. We want to play even better.