SKA - Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

“First of all, I would like to dedicate this victory to all women! I congratulate all of them with International Women’s Day. Thanks to our mothers, we have the opportunity to achieve positive results on the ice.

“The energy inside the SKA Arena provided our players with the required inspiration to win. We moved away from our game plan when Magnitogorsk scored their two goals, but our guys quickly got back on track and played excellently for the remainder of the match. All of our players tried their best out there.

“Sergei Tolchinsky? He’s taken a big step forward in terms of his physical shape. Of course, Sergei did a great job today, but he now has to play like this consistently. One aspect of our game which requires improvement is when we’re in possession in the neutral zone, too often we’re presenting the opponents with counter-attack opportunities.

“We didn’t take any penalties? We worked hard with our legs in order to not commit fouls. When you possess the puck, there’s not much chance of you taking a penalty. Our team discipline was at a high level today. 
“How can we beat Dinamo Minsk here in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday. Our discipline will be key.

“18-year-old Ivan Stefanishin was given a chance? He has the required skating ability and hockey IQ to play for the senior SKA team. As a defenseman, he’s excellent when picking out passes. His qualities are similar to those of Tony DeAngelo. However, in defence, he’s stronger than Tony in terms of his commitment. Ivan knows how to play inside his own zone. He’s a really mobile defenseman, this is something which I’ve seen in training. I congratulate Ivan with his KHL debut!”

HC Metallurg Magnitogorsk head coach Andrei Razin:

“It was a good game. Unfortunately, as a result of failing to take advantage of our chances while leading 2:1, we failed to achieve a positive outcome. We took a cheap penalty in the attacking zone and consequently conceded the equaliser at an important time in the game. The third period wasn’t great from our point of view either.

“Is it vitally important for us to finish in second spot of the Eastern Conference? I think any team wants to finish as high as possible.”