Harijs Vitolins speaks before playing Lokomotiv in the KHL playoffs

- It's good that we finished the first round series early to concentrate on resting. Our heads should be fresher now and we must have a better mindset for the KHL playoffs. After the Olympics, everyone need time off to recover.

- Yesterday, did the meeting with the city's governor ruin the team's preparation plan?

- We had a day off planned. The players spent a couple of hours there, but it didn't affect their physical condition. It was a nice event for them, maybe it gave our guys more positive emotions.

- Were you surprised that Lokomotiv finished their first round series so early?

- Sometimes series finish early, but the games themselves were actually very tense. We won in four straight matches last year, however it was really tough. Against Severstal Cherepovets, two of the games went to overtime. Both we and Lokomotiv have enjoyed a long break, it will be a battle of clubs who have missed ice hockey.

- What are Lokomotiv's strengths?

- They have an organised team. The foreign players set the tempo. There are no differences in comparison to last year's KHL Gagarin Cup playoffs, we will pay attention to the same aspects.

- Last year, SKA defeated Lokomotiv 4:0. What can we expect this time?

- We need to win. We'll try to earn a victory in every match.

- Do you have a plan of how to keep Lokomotiv's foreign players out of the game?

- We'll have a think about that. We won't tell the press how we're going to play, but we know what we want.

- In the first round, you stated that Sergei Kalinin wasn't going to play.

- He had a large bruise on his left hand, but it turned out that it wasn't a serious injury. Sergei's a fighter, he told us that he can play.

- Danila Galenyuk didn't train. Who will be the team's second young player?

- We'll see. We didn't use Danila in recent matches either, any mistake can prove crucial. You can't experiment in the playoffs, it's not such an important matter at this point.

- Which goalkeeper will start this series?

- I think that Mikko Koskinen will start. He has played well in the the past few matches.

- Do any other players have health problems?

- No, everyone's healthy. At the moment, it's a problem for us to choose who to select for the roster. Last year, two or three players were always out injured, but this time it's difficult to pick the squad for matches. There is more competition within the team and those on the ice know that they have to perform well.

- In January, SKA defeated Lokomotiv 1:0 in Saint Petersburg. Will this series be like that match?

- I don't think that the match will differ from the previous game, but it will be a more tense, physical affair.