Igor Larionov speaks after playing Torpedo away

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"It was a thrilling evening of ice hockey with lots of twists and turns. Only one team won, though, and I would like to congratulate Torpedo with their victory and our players with their first point. We'll improve."

Emotions on returning to Nizhny Novgorod...

"You always leave a piece of your heart, piece of your knowledge in a place where you worked for several years. Three years isn't three days! It was nice to return here, see the city again and the arena with its wonderful atmosphere. I don't want to put the attention on myself too much, but it was an emotional game for me. I've seen the progress of Torpedo's players across my three years here. Their new coach Alexei Isakov is a good guy, we worked well together when he coached the club's MHL and VHL teams. Hopefully, Torpedo will continue playing just as well."

Why he didn't watch the warm-ups from the bench...

"My return to Nizhny Novgorod has come with a lot of emotions! I only wanted to make too many trips to the bench. I walked out when it was already dark, as to ensure that the attention was on our team. It was a decision which I made to take away some of the emotion attached to this evening."

Feelings about the overall performance...

"I'm proud of the fact that we produced a really good performance. Both teams had their chances to win. Our guys showed plenty of character, especially when you take into account that we lost Blandisi so early on. What I saw today has given me optimism."

The penalty taken by Joseph Blandisi...

"Taking into account that this was his first game in a new league, the referees could have just given him a warning. I would have given him a warning myself. I will always defend my players, because they are a part of our group. I would like the referees to show more patience."

Why SKA couldn't take advantage of more scoring opportunities...

"We have to be more ruthless in front of goal. Of course, we also have to give credit to Ivan Kulbakov, who was excellent for Torpedo in their net. But we must improve our ruthlessness when presented with scoring opportunities."