Evgeny Dadonov: "The first match is always difficult"

- Was it a surprise to see Lokomotiv make the Western Conference final?

- I wouldn't say that. Lokomotiv proved that they are stronger than CSKA.

- How will you play against these opponents?

- I think that we will be told how to play. We need to prepare and show our best ice hockey.

- What do you know about Lokomotiv's goaltenders?

- The series against CSKA showed that both of their goalkeepers are good. We will analyse how they play.

- Sergei Gimaev recently died.

- I knew him more as an expert, I only met him a couple of times. He's a big loss.

- The series against Dynamo Moscow was expected to be more difficult.

- Having a bit of luck on our side, we managed to win four consecutive matches. It was actually a tough series, we won by only one goal. We put in a lot of energy during that series.

- Why is the first match of a series always the hardest for SKA?

- Yes, that is the case. The teams are still fresh and analyse one another. Maybe it's just a coincidence though.