Roman Rotenberg speaks after playing Dynamo in Moscow

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

"Even though we conceded two goals, I liked how we played in the first period. We fought hard, took the lead, competed with discipline and followed the game plan. After that, we took far too many penalties. When you're playing shorthanded with such regularity, it's tough to beat such a strong opponent like Dynamo Moscow. Nevertheless, we improved in the third stanza and found the equaliser, but then we took a penalty in the attacking zone. We're growing as a team in such games, but our discipline must improve.

"Tony DeAngelo wasn't on the bench for the third period? This is an ice hockey situation. Tony doesn't differ from any of our other players, everyone is treated equally. Our team is the star, not individual players. The only reasons related to Tony's absence in the third stanza concern ice hockey. As I have previously mentioned, a player can score 40 goals a season, but at the same time the team concedes 80 with him on the ice. We don't always need to look at individual statistics. Every player must follow the game plan, respect his teammates, respect the team and have respect for everyone else. 

"Just take Pavel Akolzin, who is putting in a huge amount of effort for the benefit of the team while managing to score too! We need players like Pavel in our group. 

"We didn't manage to score on the powerplay? We have to give credit to Dynamo here, they were excellent on the PK and played aggressively. On a more positive note, it's important that our defensemen have started to score goals. When playing against teams which defend deep, you have to lift the puck back to the point and find shooting lanes with our sharp movement. We'll be fine if we get rid of penalties like the ones we took today, especially those in the attacking zone in the closing stages. You cannot let the team down like that.

"When will Evgeny Kuznetsov return? He will play again this season, but we're not going to rush matters or take any risks with his health. Head injuries always have to be treated with extra caution. Other important players Valentin Zykov and Mikhail Vorobyov are also on the sidelines with injuries.

"We presented Dynamo with too many counter-attack opportunities in the first period? In my opinion, we were too conservative in those incidents. If a defenseman joins the attack, a forward should take his place as back-up. All five skaters have their role to play. If just one of those five players doesn't do his job, the entire play is ruined. We were too passive, instead we should have been more aggressive and refrained from skating backwards. Following the adjustments which we made during the match, we improved and didn't give Dynamo any counter-attacks in the third stanza. Modern ice hockey requires you to play in a proactive manner."