The Gagarin Cup final. Press-conference of Game Three

HC Ak Bars Kazan head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov:

- It was a good game, both teams played well. We will prepare for the next match.

-Today's match was just like the previous two. What gave you confidence that you could win?

- We got ready for the game. There's nothing special, we simply analysed the previous matches well.

- There are a lot of past Gagarin Cup champions in your squad. Do they help the rest of the players?

- Yes, they have experience. A lot depends on them, and the team look up to them. Overall however everything depends on how the whole team performs.

- Why did Dmitry Obukhov and Vladimir Denisov take part today?

- Vladimir was ill for the second game. Dmitry Obukhov replaced Dmitry Arkhipov, as we wanted something different.

HC SKA head coach Vyacheslav Bykov:

- It was a tense game, just like the previous one in Kazan. Unfortunately the key moment was when we had a five on three, and couldn't score. The guys tried however, and we will get ready for the next game.

- Is Mikko Koskinen not tired after 20 matches in a row?

- No, he's in good form.

- You said in Kazan that 1:0 is a scoreline which suited you. What went wrong today?

- The score suited us because we won. Today. playing for the 1:0 didn't give us a chance to win. When you are up by one goal however in the last few minutes, there's no point in running away for a second.

- What isn't working for the third line?

- They are all trying.

- Did you not feel that the team relaxed, especially when having a five on three?

- You can only relax after the final buzzer. There cannot be any conversations about being relaxed. Sometimes you have to give the opponents credit.