Press conference after SKA defeated Avtomobilist

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"Today I can finally break the tradition of congratulating the opponents with their victory, because we've managed to win. It was a difficult, challenging match. These are two important points for us, and it's pleasing that we managed to win a game which would have been a lot easier had we capitalised on our chances in the first period. The fact that ice hockey is so unpredictable keeps everyone interested until the end."

Psychological importance of snapping the losing streak...

"The small details decide the outcome of every game. When you win, you look at everything differently. We're building our group and team spirit. Of course, we're pleased that we are managing to move out of the difficult situation which we find ourselves in. We could have won in four of five of the games which we ended up losing. In terms of our mentality, this victory is vital.

"Before this match, we attended the International Gas Forum where I shared a couple of works with Chairman of the PJSC Gazprom Board Alexei Miller. He asked me when we were going to start winning again, and I told him that it would be Monday. He said to me that everything was fine and to continue working as usual."

On registering 27 attempts on target and Avtomobilist blocking 32 shots...

"I want to give credit to the opponents for us. Blocking 32 shots is really impressive, and I wonder what the record is. It was as if they had 20 goalkeepers, not one! Just imagine what a tough night their goaltender would have had if the skaters in front of him would have only blocked five shots instead of 32. As for us, we have to become ruthless in front of goal. When we have a clear shooting lane, we miss the target. Had we capitalised on our chances during the opening stanza, it wouldn't have been such a nervy third period. When you gain confidence from winning games, the beautiful goals will come. However, if you don't shoot and score the difficult goals, confidence won't increase. When the opponents sit deep and play close to their net, you have to be patient and confident when presented with opportunities."

If anyone will replace Evgeny Ketov on the bench...

"We have a few days to think about that. Vladimir Filatov and Maxim Semyonov, my assistants, are two strong specialists. Yuri Klyuchnikov, our goalkeeping coach, is also now on the bench so that we can receive information concerning any contentious incidents."

Rumours about new signings and Sheldon Rempal...

"We don't want to make spontaneous decisions. Before we sign a new player, we have to be certain that he is stronger than the guys we already have in our team and that he will help the team improve. This concerns the mood within the group, team chemistry, tactics and balance. If the right options appear for strengthening the team, we will analyse them and make our team even stronger."

Fortune favouring SKA in this match...

"Confidence is lost really easily. When you lose a few games and can't score, you start to mull over the opportunities which you missed. This consequently prevents you from scoring and winning. When the rebounds and bounces start going your way, you're immediately happy that luck has turned in your favour. You have to deserve good fortune. If you patiently continue believing in yourself, everything will be fine in the end. Sometimes, you just have to take the weight off your shoulders and stop thinking about the chances which you missed. If you do this, confidence and good fortune will return."

Why SKA have struggled recently...

"I don't reveal all of the details, but we have made tactical adjustments with regard to how we play when leading. We want our players to be more careful and conservative. Initially, we spoke about displaying attack-minded, fast ice hockey with lots of scoring opportunities, but the opponents were catching us on the counter. We've drawn the required conclusions and are trying to be more flexible. Ahead of Wednesday, we will show the guys some aspects of our performance which require improvement. I think that we're on the right track. Our opponents study how we play and know that we like to attack, so we need to be flexible and play hybrid ice hockey which involves five players in attack and five in defence. If we make mistakes in attack, we have to ensure that the opponents won't have chances against us on the counter."

SKA's struggles in front of goal...

"This is worrying us too. At the start of the season, everyone said that we need to strengthen our goalkeeping squad, but we can see that they're playing brilliantly! They require help from the skaters in front of them, who need to start converting their scoring chances. We're working hard in training to help the guys feel more confident, but it's a slow process. We want the players to feel free when presented with opportunities, they don't need to make additional movements which aren't necessary. We're eager for them just to shoot! 

"As soon as we start scoring with rebound and deflections, the beautiful goals will come too. It's not good enough for us just to score one or two goals per game."

Andrei Pedan's goal which didn't actually go in...

"His powerful shot is what we've been lacking. The puck went through the side-netting and didn't actually go in? Really? Are you being serious? Wow, I wasn't aware of that at all until now. This is the good fortune which I've been talking about. What can I say...it's a part of the game. There have been other incidents when the puck went in after taking a deflection off of the referee. We can't do anything about this, the game is done."

Nikolai Goldobin's return to the line-up...

"Some things were good, whereas others weren't. We want to see more fire, desire, determination and involvement from Nikolai. He's an incredibly talented forward, but without good work ethic and enthusiasm, it's hard to be a useful team player. He performed well for half of today's match. Nonetheless, we want him to do things which no one else in our team can do."

HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin:

"We expected SKA to start aggressively at home. The opponents were great in the first period, but we made adjustments in the second and had plenty of chances. The outcome depended on the next goal when the score was 1:1, and SKA scored it. There were a lot of battles across the ice, but I wanted us to play with more aggressiveness in attack. Our defence was solid, however we struggled to create on the counter."

Failure to convert a late 6-on-4 powerplay...

"We didn't put the right combination plays together. We had asked the players to play differently. The main factor was that SKA intercepted our diagonal passes."

On his team blocking 32 shots...

"Our guys have been performing well in this regard recently, they're managing to compensate for other things which we currently lack."

Reason behind Anatoly Golyshev not travelling with the team...

"Who said that he hasn't travelled? He's still unable to play as a result of his ban, but he will be eligible to compete against Omsk on Sunday."

Differences between this match against SKA and the recent home game...

"Both games were even. The only difference was that we were more aggressive in attack in Yekaterinburg."

When Reid Boucher will return from injury...

"He's due to undergo another medical examination before it becomes clear just how long he will be on the sidelines. We can already say that he won't be able to play in our upcoming matches."

If Avtomobilist lacked hunger after winning six on the bounce...

"No, I wouldn't say that. In previous games we managed to score and not concede, but that wasn't the case today. We wanted our forwards to create more opportunities."