Viktor Tikhonov: "Our goalkeeper saved us"

- Why was the first period so difficult?

- We made a lot of mistakes in the opposing, they had a lot of counterattacks. I think that Igor Shestyorkin had his best game of the season, had it not been for him, we could have lost 4:5. He worked miracles out there.

- Were you all tired at the start?

- It's hard to say directly after the match. We need to sit down and analyse the match in detail.

- After missing some games, how hard was it to play again?

- I didn't feel confident in the first few shifts, but then I got used to it again.

- SKA have won 13 games in a row, with a positive goal difference of +80. Is it still interesting to play in the KHL?

- Of course! All teams are pumped up to play us. If our goalkeeper hadn't played so well today, we could have dropped a defeat.

- Have you ever played without linesmen before?

- Actually, I only noticed that they weren't there a few minutes in.

- Did SKA make it to the stadium easily? There have been weather problems.

- Yes, we were staying in a hotel not far away. Afterwards, I learned that the referees were stuck in traffic.

- Do you feel that SKA are a lot better than all other KHL teams?

- It;s our job to be the strongest. Everyone wants to be the best, we are riding on the crest of a wave and believe in ourselves. We want to keep on this wave.

- However, are things not going so well for you personally?

- 13 victories is great, the main thing is the team's result. At the end of the season, I will look at my own statistics.

- Oleg Znarok said, that the team hasn't yet recovered from the training camp last week.

- It was a tough camp. Still, we'll be back on our game in a couple of days.

- It felt like a playoff match with Dynamo, but it was a typical regular season fixture against Vityaz. Do you lack strong opponents like Dynamo?

- All teams are 100% motivated to play us. If we make mistakes like today, the opposing club will have chances.

- Despite winning all of these games, have you not relaxed at all?

- No, we are training as usual. We are strictly sticking to our system.

- With having lots of strong players, is there a lot of competition within the team?

- The main thing is the victory. Competition helps, everyone wants to play.