SKA - Dinamo Minsk. Press-conference of game five

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- It was a hard-fought playoff game. I would like to thank our players for their efforts, they held on and earned this victory as a consequence of their hard work. The opponents started using their dirty Canadian tricks again, but we didn't bite the bait. We will now prepare for the next match which we have to win.

- At the end of the second period, you responded in a very emotional fashion to the incident involving Marat Khusnutdinov and Joseph Duszak. Please comment on what happened.

- There was no reason for Duszak to strike Khusnutdinov in the face with his stick. He did this on purpose. It was a matter of life or death, these things cannot happen. We will punish the opponents for their dirty play with goals. When Russian players compete in the NHL, they don't play in such a dirty manner. However, Canadians are showing dirty ice hockey here. We must remember that we've suffered plenty of injuries throughout the campaign.

- How does Zakhar Bardakov feel?

- We hope that he'll be ready for Saturday. The same can be said for Khusnutdinov. I don't have any information yet, but I'm hopeful that they will play.

- What ice hockey will you prepare for in Minsk?

- You have seen everything for yourselves. The series is continuing, and we can play a lot better. Several aspects of our play require improvements. We showed great character as a team, something which is required in the playoffs. Dinamo are a strong opponents with experienced coaches, but you have to remember that we're playing in Saint Petersburg and not Edmonton. Craig Woodcroft's brother is the head coach of Edmonton in the NHL. We're in Russia, and the rules must be followed. The rules of ice hockey and the rules of life.

- SKA were particularly impressive during the second period. What changes did you make after game four?

- Our job is to find the opponent's weaknesses and improve our strengths. Some tactical adjustments were made, and they allowed us to find the key to winning this match. We now have to prepare for Saturday.

- Were Marat Khairullin's two goals the easiest which you've seen?

- There aren't any easy goals, you have to work hard for every single marker. Marat displayed great desire to score and tried his best. What will help us win this series? Hard work and discipline. The team which wants to win the most will emerge victorious.

HC Dinamo Minsk head coach Craig Woodcroft:

- I think that it was an intense, tight game. We didn't achieve the required result, but we will now move on and recover for the next match. We must improve our penalty killing and respect SKA's transition game more, those two areas weren't as sharp as they needed to be and they made the difference.

- Roman Rotenberg thinks that Minsk displayed dirty ice hockey.

- I don't think that we're any more dirty than their team.

- Dinamo are missing defenseman Dmitry Deryabin, John Gilmour, Shawn Lalonde and Nikita Zorkin. Will any of them return for game six?

- It's day-to-day with those guys, I'll know more when we arrive back in Minsk. Hopefully some of them will be available for Saturday.

- We can see that Minsk are playing at the same level as SKA, but individual mistakes are holding you back. What advice will you give your players ahead of the sixth match of the series?

- You've answered your own question. Individual mistakes have to be cleaned up, and when on the PK you cannot leave their top scorer alone in front of the net and expect a different result. SKA feed off their transition game, with their team making us pay for our mistakes. If we want to achieve success in game six, we must fix those issues. I believe that we will.

- In Russia, they say that a good system can defeat a stronger team in terms of quality.

- That's consistent with my beliefs. It's about having a good system, good execution and good structure. At this time of year, you achieve success if those things work. The opponent's level doesn't matter, in the playoffs all games are decided by fine margins. You must minimalise your mistakes and execute.

- What would you like to say to Dinamo's fans ahead of game six in Belarus?

- Our players are certainly looking forward to playing at home again, the last two matches in Minsk were electric in terms of the support. Our fans are the sixth player for us! Hopefully the arena will be rocking, and we will give the performance of our lives.

- It was quite an open game today. Can we expect the same in Minsk?

- Their style is open, and our style is also aggressive and open. It makes for very entertaining ice hockey, it's back and forth and both teams are giving everything. It's good ice hockey to watch. Every game has its own complexion, and there are a few areas of our game which require more discipline. SKA are probably thinking the same thing. For sure it will be intense, it's a great time of year to play ice hockey. We're thankful that we can compete in these meaningful matches.

HC SKA forward Vasily Glotov:

- The main thing is that we won, our fans assisted us with their fantastic support. We will do everything possible in Minsk on Saturday in order to achieve our fourth victory in the series. Dinamo are playing in an aggressive manner? We're focused on our own game, and it's never easy in the playoffs. Roman Rotenberg is showing that he's nervous? No, he's simply displaying his emotions. All of us are supporting each other on the bench. Against teams like Minsk, it's vital to remain positive and compete as a team.

HC SKA forward Marat Khairullin:

- We struggled in the closing stages as a consequence of the goal which we conceded when leading 4:3. Nonetheless, the most important thing is that we played as a team, held on and scored important goals. My empty-netters were easy? Hopefully, I will soon start scoring against goalkeepers too! Everyone wants to win, so therefore all of our games are tense. We will now get ready for Saturday.