Press conference after SKA breezed past Sochi at home

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"I'm more happy with the quality of our performance rather than the result. While preparing for this game, we had put an emphasis on the importance of playing really well. We saw that our players competed with a positive mindset and enthusiasm. We're far away from playing with the required stability, but it was vital to take the first step."

Sochi's lack of quality...

"There aren't any weak teams in this league. Any team poses a threat, and you have to avoid underestimating your opponents. Of course, we don't have any kind of euphoria inside our group. However, it's pleasing that we won while scoring lots of goals along the way. This performance provides us with confidence."

Why Nikolai Goldobin didn't play...

"He didn't play today because of illness. Brennan Menell also missed this game, and he will be on the sidelines for three weeks as a result of having appendicitis."

What changed following the players' discussion on Wednesday...

"It's normal for such discussions to take place. I'm proud of the players for finding the strength within themselves and holding that conversation. Instead of panicking, we want to remain calm and fix the situation which we have on our hands. The players' conversation has certainly had a positive effect. That was clear yesterday, and again this morning at training. We can see that the guys are playing with less fear and more confidence. It's like when you go to church and ask for your sins to be forgiven; you feel that a weight has been taken off your shoulders. It's wonderful when you see puck movement, quick passes and scoring opportunities. This is the ice hockey which we want to display."

Matvei Korotky's hat-trick...

"It's a big event for the young lad. But, please don't heap too much praise on him! He's not ready for that yet, and Matvei knows this himself. I said this to him when he broke the team rules back in the summer. Naturally, he will receive the plaudits after scoring his hat-trick, but ice hockey is a team sport.

"We're trying to find the right approach for everyone in our team, so that the players begin having fun on the ice and play freely. Yes, we weren't playing against a top KHL side today, but any big victory starts with a small step. We have a lot of things to work on."

If Artemiy Pleshkov will play against Novosibirsk next week...

"No, he'll be out for around 12 more days. He's picked up the same lower-body injury. We're not going to rush matters, there's simply no need for that to happen. We want to look after our players and ensure that they're healthy."

Sergei Ivanov's solid showing...

"He's returned to our team having played excellently in the VHL, conceding only two goals across two matches. I'm happy that he played solidly today against his former team. The skaters provided him with assistance, but Sergei made the big saves. It was the right call to put him in the line-up today."

HC Sochi head coach Vladimir Krikunov:

"Our guys were pumped up to show their best ice hockey, but maybe those emotions prevented them from doing just that. After conceding early, we lost our way. We tried to attack hard in the second period, but we were too open and you can't do that when facing SKA. We made the call to put Maxim Tretyak in our net in place of Alexei Shchetilin. Sadly for us, he wasn't ready. At least we scored one goal in the end."

Reasons behind pulling Shchetilin in the second stanza...

"Shchetilin played well, but we wanted to try and force our defensemen to focus more on defence. They all seem to like joining the rush and attacking hard rather than defending. They aren't scoring either, though!"

How Sochi will prepare for their next match...

"I know that we will look a completely different team for our upcoming game on Sunday."