SKA - Spartak. Press-conference

HC Spartak Moscow head coach Boris Mironov:

- I would like to congratulate all Spartak fans with this victory. It was a good, fast-paced game, I enjoyed it. Our penalties made the match more difficult for us, we were lacking discipline. However, the guys battled hard and earned the win by working hard for the full 60 minutes.

- How would you rate Nikolai Chebykin's performance?

- He is getting used to the way we play ice hockey, we compete in a different style in comparison to his former team. He needs time, we don't have any issues with him.

- What are the positives and negatives of this stage of the campaign for you?

- There are a lot of good and bad things. We certainly need to get rid of our individual mistakes, the last two matches proved that we can't afford to make errors. There aren't any weak teams in the KHL. The main thing is that we compete with concentration and commitment, always playing to win.

- Spartak have already claimed five overtime wins this season.

- I can't say that we're putting an emphasis on this component, but we do work on 3-on-3 play during our training sessions. The guys know that the opponents will punish you if you make the smallest of mistakes. We have talented players who can make the difference.

- Alexander Nikishin has problems with his heart. Will this prevent him from playing for the national team?

- I'm not the team doctor. However, given that he was given permission to play in the KHL, I don't think that there will be a problem.

- Alexei Semyonov is a member of your coaching staff. How has he settled in?

- Everyone has their own role within our group, we have mutual understanding together. Did we prepare for SKA in a special way? No, we simply analysed the opponent's strengths and weaknesses as we always do. We will now prepare for our next game.

- How long did it take Canadian forward Jake Virtanen to adapt to the KHL?

- He is a professional. He needed time to adapt after arriving from the NHL, but we can see what he is capable of. We want Jake to give 110%, not just 100%. I think that he will improve.

HC SKA forward Valeri Bragin:

- It was an interesting match with a lot of chances. However, one goal isn't enough. We made a mistake in overtime to concede the second marker.

- Marat Khusnutdinov played down the middle for the first time in a long time.

- He performed well.

- What happened to SKA in the third period?

- Spartak competed with aggression, they needed to get back in the game. We had chances to score, though.

- Joonas Kemppainen left the match with an injury.

- He will undergo medical examinations tomorrow.

- Why didn't Andrei Kuzmenko play?

- He has caught a cold.

- What did you make of Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi's performance?

- Artyom is playing well.

- Nikita Chibrikov is gaining a lot of points for SKA-Neva in the VHL. Will we soon see him in the KHL again for the senior team?

- We know him well, we're watching his progress. Maybe we will see him in the KHL again after the international break.

- There were changes to the lines in the third period.

- Mat Robinson had to leave the ice after the puck hit him. We were searching for options to improve our performance. Robinson is playing with Mikko Lehtonen? They are playing well together.

- What happened for Danila Moiseev's mistake in overtime?

- He didn't understand the situation correctly. He needed to make a pass, two of our players were open.