Finland - Russia. Press-conference
Russian head coach Oleg Znarok:
- We began well after scoring first, and we had chances to make it two. However, we didn’t take advantage of our advantages, and we couldn’t get back into the game.
- Why aren’t your special teams working? Also, Alexander Ovechkin hasn’t played well this tournament.
- I don’t agree with that. The opponents are playing hard against him, and are closing down his shooting lanes. When we had a man’s advantage, some of our shots just didn’t go in.
- Your team has always played well in second periods before this match.
- Today, we had good goalscoring openings too. In such a semi-final, we had to score, and we should have had a five on three when Pavel Datsyuk was fouled against.
Finnish head coach Kari Jalonen:
- It was a good start, however Russia scored an easy goal. Nevertheless, we kept on going, and we played the full 60 minutes. Mikko Koskinen gave us a chance to win the game, and our players blocked a lot of shots on the penalty kill. We didn’t lose focus, and managed to win.
- Finland know how to beat Russia. What did you analyse before this game?
- We didn’t look at any secret videos.
- We have heard about Patrik Laine, but what can you say about Sebastian Aho?
- Actually, we have three special young players, and they have been great throughout this tournament. They were at their level today.
Russian Ice Hockey Federation