Report: Ovechkin to join Team Russia at worlds

Ovechkin missed the final group match against Belarus on Tuesday after injuring his right leg in a collision during Russia's game against Germany.(Petr David Josek/AP)

Alex Ovechkin will join Team Russia at next month’s IIHF world hockey championship, according to Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo! Sports.

Ovechkin will look to bounce back from a disappointing performance at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics where he registered two points in five games prior to Russia being eliminated by Finland in the quarterfinals.

The 2014 worlds take place in Belarus with the round robin beginning May 9.

Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season, which will allow the 28-year-old superstar to play in the full tournament. Evgeny Kuznetsov is also slated to join the team.

Last year, Ovechkin played one game for Russia at the worlds after his Capitals were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round. His Russian squad was eliminated by the United States in a quarterfinal matchup.

Since 2004, the Moscow native has represented his country nine times at the worlds winning two golds, a silver and two bronze medals along the way.

Ovechkin led the NHL in goals this season, lighting the lamp 51 times in 78 games, however the sniper also had a minus-35 rating.

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