Press conference after SKA defeated Sibir at the Ice Palace

HC SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

"First of all, I would like to congratulate our players and the fans with the victory. It was a tough game for us. But, if we had taken advantage of the opportunities which we created, it would have been a lot easier. Nevertheless, a win is a win. We're happy with the two points."

Yegor Savikov's debut...

"I remember when I got to know him with the junior Russian national team. At that moment in time, the scouts working for the Russian Ice Hockey Federation in 16th place of a ranking consisting of 16 defensemen. I don't want to offend anymore, but this is how some people see ice hockey. I included Yegor in our team for the Four Nations against Czechia, Sweden and Finland, and he shone during that competition. 

"Spartak Moscow subsequently signed him. When I attended Spartak's games, I asked their head coach where Savikov was. He then asked me who Savikov was! They bought him and sent him to their second team. I know what to expect from Yegor, and what he can do in a good group. I had no doubt about putting him in the line-up today and in our powerplay units. When playing with great players, Yegor becomes better himself. I think that he played well today."

Yuri Babenko's role in SKA's coaching staff...

"A position was vacant after Evgeny Ketov became the head coach of SKA-VMF. Yuri will work on our PK, faceoffs with the centre forwards, our defensive play and our structure in defence. This was only Yuri's second day with the team. Years ago, when I was working in SKA's management, I signed Yuri for the first KHL player. He was a solid team player. I had a conversation with Oleg Znarok, before subsequently giving Yuri a call."

Igor Larionov Junior's return from injury...

"Thankfully, he avoided any broken bones. No coach is going to make changes after winning 8:1. However, Valentin Zykov picked up an injury in that particular game, and we aren't going to rush his recover. We decided to put Igor in the line with Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Vorobyov. They are displaying chemistry together. Yes, there is room for improvement, but they have an understanding of how to play together and there were nice plays between them today. That line did well in this match."

Why Nikolai Goldobin isn't playing...

"He will play again when he trains in the correct manner and tries his best. At this moment in time, I'm not happy with his training sessions and his work ethic.

"Talent is important, but it becomes worthless when you don't have a good work ethic. Until he tracks back in defence and fights for the puck, Nikolai won't play. I've said all of this to him in person. At the age of 30, he should understand this. Instead of judging players on points, I judge them on how they work for the benefit of the team and their attitude."

HC Sibir Novosibirsk head coach Vyacheslav Butsayev:

"It was a mixed game in terms of our commitment and performance level. We shouldn't have given SKA so many opportunities to compete on the powerplay. We conceded early in the third period, despite the fact that I had warned our players about the importance of the opening three minutes of each period. Nonetheless, I liked how we fought until the end. Our poor play in the concluding minute prevented us from pulling the goalkeeper and earning at least one point."

Ivan Chekhovich's promising form...

"When we signed Ivan, we took into account his strengths. Any player needs time to adapt, but he's playing really well for us at the moment."

Difficulty of maintaining a positive atmosphere within the team...

"Of course, defeats don't bring positive emotions, but we have to haul ourselves out of this situation. We're displaying good ice hockey, but we can't do it for the entire 60 minutes. Maybe psychological factors and the pressure are taking their toll. I was pleased with how we competed today, especially in the third frame when two down. No one gave up, everyone tried hard until the end.

"There are a lot of reasons behind the problem of not being able to play a full game at the same level. The main issue is our lack of discipline. We're picking up points, but we are commiting mistakes which are always going to be punished in this league."

Issue of Sibir beginning to concede goals shorthanded...

"We conceded shorthanded in the first period today, but then we made adjustments and did well when killing our remainding penalties. The problem in this game was that we took far too many unnecessary penalties."

Scott Wilson's struggles...

"We'll have a talk together. Scott understands the situation himself, but he's an experienced guy with plenty of character. He will find the solution to this issue."