Tomi Lamsa, HC Salavat Yulaev coach: I believe that we will figure out how to win Ak Bars

The head coach of the Salavat Yulaev ice hockey club, Tomi Lamsa, shared his expectations from the upcoming semifinals of the Eastern Conference Gagarin Cup playoffs.

"We met with this club at the preseason tournament, played four matches in the regular season, lost two, in one of which our young team was on the ice. We perfectly understand our future rival. The opponent has a good goalkeeper line, forwards. The level of expectations from this series will be higher than from the previous stage," Tomi Lamsa said. "We need to figure out strategies, keys to Ak Bars. I believe that we will find a way to beat our opponent. I do not feel much pressure from the upcoming series. As a coach, I want to help our players show their best hockey qualities."

The "green derby" in the playoffs starts in Kazan on March 17. The second confrontation is scheduled for March 19. Games in Ufa will be held on March 21 and 23.