"There were enough bumps in the first two rounds of the Gagarin Cup"

Dynamo Moscow's hockey players have been one step away from the Gagarin Cup finals for the first time since 2013 this KHL season. They qualified for the KHL playoffs against SKA St. Petersburg and Ak Bars Kazan, winning the series 4-2 after six matches. Now the blue and white are preparing for the semi-final against Traktor Chelyabinsk, which starts on April 29.

In an interview with Izvestia, Dynamo defender Artyom Sergeev assessed the state of the team before the new series, shared his opinion on the reliability of the defensive game and explained what needs to be done to win the season.

— After two days off after the Ak Bars series, have you already rolled into training mode?

— Yes, of course, we are already ready for the Tractor series. I didn't even have to roll in. We've already gone through two rounds, which is enough to keep us on our toes.

— How will Traktor be more difficult for Dynamo than SKA and Ak Bars?

— On Saturday, we'll see what to expect from this team. I can't say anything specific yet. I'm sure the coaching staff will tell us everything.

— What needs to be done to avoid repeating the mistakes of Traktor's previous rivals, Admiral and Dinamo Minsk, with missed wins when they led 3-0 and 4-0?

— It almost happened to us in the fifth match against Ak Bars, when we led 4-1 before the third period, but in the end Kazan reduced it to 4-3 and almost equalized at the end, hitting the crossbar. But we have rebuilt... More precisely, they played in a different way. And already in the last sixth match, they did not repeat this, winning 6:1. Now they know what needs to be done to prevent such Tractor comebacks.

— What should I do?

— Well, I can't tell you that anymore (smiles).

— Is the option not to score as many goals in the first two periods and not lead with such a big score as Admiral and Minsk did not considered?

— No, of course not (laughs). You have to take what they give you. And don't let it go.

— Dylan Sikura, who transferred from Traktor in the winter, has successfully joined Dynamo's game this season. Does it feel like he's particularly motivated against Chelyabinsk?

— I think so. A series against former teams means a lot to any player and will complement his emotions.

— How calm can you feel as a defender now that two goalkeepers have shown their reliability in the past series — Maxim Motorygin against SKA, Vladislav Podyapolsky against Ak Bars?

— It's never quiet because we're playing against good hockey players, good teams. The trust in our guys at the gate is certainly very high. But I have already said more than once that their successes cannot be abused and you need to be responsible yourself. We defenders, and the whole team as a whole, must also be very reliable, helping our goalkeepers.

— Did you succeed in the series against SKA and Ak Bars?

— Of course, of course. I think the statistics confirm this. In terms of the number of blocked shots on our goal, Dynamo performed very well.

— What is the reason for the unsuccessful start of the series against Ak Bars, when you lost the first two matches at home? And how did you manage to win the next two matches and move on?

— In fact, nothing was changed globally. We just started doing what we were originally supposed to do. Therefore, we managed to turn the series around.

— As someone who has twice won the Gagarin Cup with CSKA, what advice would you give your Dynamo teammates who have not won the trophy before the crucial part of the playoffs?

— I think it's not even something that needs to be advised... We've already gone through two rounds of the playoffs, and we've got enough bumps, and we've learned our strengths and weaknesses. We tightened them up. In general, I will say that you do not need to think about the global — you need to go from game to game, preparing for each next match.

— What else do you need to add to Dynamo in order to qualify for the finals?

— A little bit of everything (smiles).