Press conference after SKA hosted Lokomotiv

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"We didn't start well today. As a consequence of having played against these opponents in Yaroslavl recently, we knew what to expect and had a good understanding of their system, but you can't start so poorly against such an organised side. We gave them the opportunity to take the lead and consequently control the game.

"This current Lokomotiv squad has been playing together for years. They understand each other excellently. If we talk about the game overall, then I liked how we showed our character in the third period. Nevertheless, we have to start capitalising on the opportunities which we're creating."

Why Rocco Grimaldi didn't take the penalty shot...

"He told me that he wasn't on the ice during the incident which resulted in the penalty shot being given. Andrei Loktionov displayed a nice move, but we have to give credit to the Yaroslavl goalkeeper who was excellent today."

Reason why Igor Larionov Junior didn't play...

"Yesterday, during an evening training session, Igor blocked a shot and received lower body injury. He requires two weeks to fully recover."

On SKA using a 1-3-1 system...

"As I have previously said, I don't like focusing on defence and parking the bus. However, we have to be flexible, even if that means going against your own preferences. If the opponents don't want to play attacking ice hockey, we have to use different tactics."

HC Lokomotiv Yaroslavl head coach Bob Hartley:

"This is an important victory for our team, especially considering that it's the first game of this away trip. When playing against such a quality team like SKA, it's vital to score the first goal. The opponents tried to cause us problems when we were leading by three, but our guys did well and earned a solid team win."