"The first match was emotional, the second was calculated"

The playoffs began this week in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In the first round, two top clubs immediately crossed paths in one of the series. CSKA Moscow is playing with SKA St. Petersburg. The first two matches in Moscow have already been played. Both were won by CSKA: first, the Red-blues won 3-2, scoring the winning goal in the second overtime, two days later they won 4-2 in regular time.

The series is now moving to St. Petersburg, where the third and fourth matches will be played on March 27 and 29. One of the goals in the second game was scored by CSKA captain Pavel Karnaukhov. In an interview with Izvestia, the 29-year-old striker explained how the two wins in the series were achieved and noted the support of his team's fans.

— Do the first two matches of the series differ from each other in any way, besides the fact that CSKA won them both?

— There were different early periods. We had more emotions in the first match, and more calculation in the second. They clearly understood what needed to be done. The main thing is that we won both matches and are going to St. Petersburg in a good mood.

— How did you manage to recover after a difficult first match, which you won only in the second overtime? From the outside, it seemed that you looked confident and not tired.

— From the outside, maybe it's better to see that we looked confident. But we don't focus on it and we don't get hung up on it. We focus on our game and try to make the most of it.

— How did you manage to win the first two matches of the series?

— Due to team actions exclusively.

Beautiful blue: CSKA won 2-0 in the army derby

The Muscovites won both home matches against the Petersburgers, Ak Bars also took two meetings, and in other series the intrigue is still only twisting.

— This is the first time you have played against SKA in the playoffs since 2023. In 2015-2023, two army teams almost always played in the semifinals, and this was almost the main series of the season. Now the confrontation is in the first round of the Gagarin Cup. Does it feel like the status of this series has decreased?

— An army derby is an army derby. But what happened in the past remains in the past. We must live in the present day. Yes, now it so happens that we are playing against SKA in the first round. Well, then, in the first one. We don't choose an opponent.

— What should be done to complete this series after the next trip to St. Petersburg?

— We don't think about it. We are living in the present day, preparing for the third match. We don't know what will happen next in the future. We go from game to game. And then we'll see.

— Do you have a feeling that these two victories have created a significant foundation for passage to the next round?

— We must continue to focus on our game and make the most of the next matches, realizing that we have a very strong opponent in front of us. I repeat, we are not looking far into the future, we are thinking about the next game.

— How much did the support from the stands help in the first two matches?

— I would really like to thank our fans for their support. I need to say a word of gratitude to everyone who comes to our matches, who is always with us. They help the team a lot. And we really appreciate it.