May 16, 2010 By Herald Standard Staff 1 min read

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins players Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin will join up with the Russia team at the ice hockey world championship in the next few days. Russia coach Vyacheslav Bykov will benefit from the extra firepower after the Penguins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens.

Teams at worlds are allowed to have 20 skaters and three goalies in the first round and can add two more players for the second round.

The two-time Olympian Malkin will play in his fourth worlds and was a leading figure in Pittsburgh’s 2009 Stanley Cup title run, earning the playoffs’ most valuable player award.

“It’s my national team and they called me. If my team needs me and I can go, I’m not going to say no,” Malkin said Friday in Pittsburgh.

Gonchar left later Friday to join the team, while Malkin’s flight left Saturday.