Vasily Podkolzin: "We had long been waiting for this moment"

HC SKA forward Vasily Podkolzin:

- It was a tough, physical game. We struggled at the start of the match with so many emotions. Nevertheless, after speaking in the dressing room, we improved across the ice.

- Why did SKA struggle with their emotions in the first period?

- The first playoff match is always like this. We had been waiting for this moment throughout the regular season, we're here to fight for the Gagarin Cup. It was a very physical game too.

- You played with Dinamo Minsk in the concluding match of the regular season. How much have they changed since then?

- It's hard to say. Minsk have a good, strong team. They have excellent foreign players who can score goals, especially on the powerplay. We will now prepare for the upcoming games in the series.

- Dinamo Minsk's foreign players landed a lot of hits.

- Probably, this was because it's the start of the playoffs. This is normal.