"The second round of the KHL playoffs is not the limit for Dinamo Minsk"

The second round of the playoffs, the quarterfinals, starts next week in the Kontinental Hockey League. Dinamo Minsk has reached this stage for the second year in a row, although it had never gone beyond the first round before. This season, Dmitry Kvartalnov's team confidently beat out their Moscow namesakes, completing the series in four matches (4:0), and now they will compete for reaching the semifinals with Ak Bars Kazan.

One of the leaders of the Minsk team was striker Stanislav Galiev, who joined the club before this season. The Dynamo Moscow graduate became the hero of the fourth match of the series, scoring two goals, including the winning goal in overtime (2:1). The silver medalist of the 2022 Olympics is preparing for a confrontation with Ak Bars, with which he won the Gagarin Cup in 2018. In an interview with Izvestia, Galiev told what helps Minsk achieve success and how the team expects to go even further.

— How did you manage to pass Dynamo Moscow so confidently?

— At the expense of the team, the atmosphere in the locker room. At the expense of all the guys who gathered in the team. We are strong as a team, we fight for each other. It helped both during the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs. We will do everything to help you further. This unity should help us.

— Is Minsk ready to continue solving big tasks in the playoffs?

— That's why we were gathered. The backbone remains from last season, when the team also reached the second round. We strengthened before this championship, and newcomers, including me, joined the guys who had already played earlier. We're trying to help them take another step forward in the playoffs. So far, we have managed to repeat last year's result. But I think this is not the limit for Minsk.

— What are you planning to do further into the playoffs?

— We have everything for this. The squad is good — there are experienced high-class veterans, excellent young people, and great foreign players. Our goaltending position is great. And the coaching staff is great. Everyone understands why they have gathered at the club and what they want to achieve. Everyone is confident and wants to please the fans.

— As a person who played in top clubs and won the Gagarin Cup with Ak Bars, do you see Dynamo Minsk's ability to repeat this? After all, do many people perceive Minsk by inertia as a team for which reaching the second round is already a great success?

— There is a general attitude throughout the republic that we must fight for the highest places. The club's managers and coaching staff tell us this all the time. And we want to go as far as possible and fight for the trophy. If we play hard on every part of the court, realize our moments, then everything is possible. Everything is in our hands.

— Was it important for you to knock Dynamo Moscow out of the playoffs after you were removed from your hometown club in 2022, terminating your contract?

— No, I have no grudges against the club. This is hockey life, which often involves changing teams. But I really wanted to play in the playoffs against Dynamo Moscow. Besides, their home stadium is not a stranger to me. And my parents came to the games in Moscow — they were very motivated to play in this series.