SKA - Jokerit. Press-conference

HC Jokerit Helsinki head coach Erkka Westerlund:

- I congratulate SKA with the victory. Jokerit fought well today, you can say that we are satisfied with the team's performance. In the second period, we lost our rhythm after taking a lot of penalties. That carried on in the third, and because of this it was hard to get anything going in attack.

- Did Philip Larsen let your team down with his foul?

- Everyone saw what happened on the ice, and we can all make our own personal conclusions.

- After racking up a lot of penalty minutes, what would you say about the refereeing?

- We can only play and win on the ice. I am not going to speak about the referees.

- It looked as though your players got tired in the middle of the second period.

- Yes, that's true. I am proud of how my team played on the penalty kill, but it made us tired.

- What would you say about Mikko Koskinen's and Steve Moses' performances for SKA?

- Certainly, I would like to see a quality player like Steve Moses here. However, unfortunately we didn't have that opportunity. I enjoy seeing how Finnish and ex Jokerit players perform in SKA.

HC SKA head coach Sergei Zubov:

- It was a tight and tense game right until the end. I think that SKA fans have remembered what hockey playoff games are like - every shot and block are important. Today we got more lucky than the opponents, and I congratulate the players and fans with the victory.

- How long will Vadim Shipachyov's recovery take?

- We hope to see him soon.

- What was the key factor of today's victory - the mindset, the preparation or home ice?

- All of those factors put together. We were pumped up for this match, and were prepared for a tough fight.

- Joakim Lindstrom cannot get into SKA's team, but has been called up to the Swedish national team. Why isn't he in your squad?

- At the moment we are playing with our optimal line-up.

- After being speared against, Yegor Yakovlev laid on the ice before taking to the ice as normal afterwards. Are SKA's doctors really that good?

- We have to be objective, there was a slash made.

- Why couldn't SKA finish the match without nerves?

- We will keep on moving towards the playoffs, and I am sure that there will be more nervy matches ahead.