Game two. SKA - Dinamo Minsk. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- We had prepared in a serious manner for this match, we expected the opponents to compete in a physical manner. Dinamo had made tactical changes to their approach, but we were ready. The guys did a great job and stuck to the game plan. We will now prepare for the next match.

- No powerplay goals were scored today.

- The opponents changed their tactical approach, and the two teams know each other well. Minsk were excellent shorthanded. However, it's good that we managed to score goals at equal strength today. The next game is very important.

- In this series, the second period is proving to be decisive.

- Naturally we are not going to reveal all of our secrets when it comes to our tactics, but we are following our system which we have been working hard on. We will improve all of the details with each passing match. At the same time, we would like to play better in the first period. It was a physical game today, so we had to make changes to our approach during the match. The guys fought hard, blocked pucks and played for the team.

- Did you put Leo Komarov, Evgeny Timkin and Zakhar Bardakov in one line during the game today because of the physicality of proceedings?

- We always work in accordance with the situation. When they were on the ice, we wanted them to show their best qualities.

- Mikko Lehtonen is on the ice for so many minutes. Where does he get his strength from?

- This is because of our team training. We pay a lot of attention to our physical condition, because our high energy approach demands the players to be in great shape. Just like the rest of our players, Mikko trains in accordance with our system.

- You took a time-out before a lengthy 5-on-3 powerplay in the third period.

- We didn't score during that particular powerplay, but we gave the guys a chance to gain energy and speak to the coaching staff about our tactics. The opponents changed their tactics when playing shorthanded. Also, I would like to thank our fans for the fantastic support today, we are really happy that they are at the Ice Palace. We look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming games!

HC Dinamo Minsk head coach Craig Woodcroft:

- I think that our team played a much better game today, even if we didn't get a result. We started resembling the team which we want to be. We adjusted to the speed today, we had made adjustments to slow them down a bit. Our approach was more physical. Now, we have to tighten up our play in the attacking zone and be more purposeful. We have to get to the net, create chances and make Lars Johansson work hard. We want to get in front of him and create rebound opportunities. If we do that, we will fight our way back into this series.

- You took a lot of penalties again. Was this because of your players' desire?

- We wanted to defend better and be harder in our battles. SKA have a lot of players who like to change direction and increase their speed quickly, so our sticks had to adjust to their maneuvers. I need to take a look at some of those penalties. We're getting our brains up to speed here, SKA have one of the KHL's fastest teams. It's a big challenge.

- Taylor Beck and Malte Stromwall didn't tally any points in these two games. How satisfied are you with their performances?

- They are obviously our attacking leaders. We want them to provide our team with points. They are both dangerous players, so they will get on the scoresheet if they play the right way.

- Why didn't Pavel Varfolomeev play today?

- He's injured.

- Artyom Demkov was only on the ice for one minute in the third period. Why was this the case?

- We got into some penalty trouble at the start of the frame. After we had successfully killed those penalties, I decided to go down to three lines.

- Vladimir Alistrov, Ilya Usov and Roman Gorbunov are playing well for Dinamo in this series.

- Yes, I thought that they played well today in a fast, simple manner. They did a good job of managing the puck, making problems for SKA with their physical play, stealing possession and creating on transition. That's a good sign for us.

- Minsk only registered 15 shots on target on Wednesday and 18 today. How can you improve these statistics?

- This was a tighter game tonight, the 3:1 score doesn't show how close it was. We're right there. We have to be a little quicker with our decisions in order to create more space in the attacking zone. We've spoken about this, and the third period displayed that we can create chances. SKA have a good team, they defend hard. It's a challenge which we will solve for the next game, we want to give their goalkeeper a hard night.

- Denis Mosalyov and Nikita Pyshkailo made their maiden 2021/2022 playoff appearances. How would you summarise their performances?

- Denis played a very strong game in all three zones. You can see his playoff experience, he plays calmly and we're thankful for his efforts. Pyshkailo is a competitive guy and a responsible player, he plays with a big heart. He did well.

- Will you make changes to your line-up for the third match of the series?

- Give me a change to analyse this game. If we need to make a change, we will. We want to perform well at home and compete with big character, showing fighting spirit and intelligence. We want to win. The players with those characteristics will be on the ice.