BRATISLAVA – The Washington Capitals gave their consent for Alexander Ovechkin’s World Championship participation. He will join the Russian national team on Saturday.

Russia has two off-days before playing the Czech Republic on Sunday evening with Ovechkin in the lineup.

It will be the seventh World Championship for Ovechkin, who has represented Russia in two Olympic Games, three World U20 Championships and two World U18 Championships as well.

Two goalkeepers and four skaters practiced today under the direction of the federation’s president, Vladislav Tretyak, while the other players were recovering from the last game against Denmark.

Meanwhile it became clear that the World Championship is over for goalkeeper Yevgeni Nabokov. He went to hospital for further examination after suffering a groin injury in the third period in yesterday’s game against Denmark.

“He can walk normally, but he cannot play hockey, especially not in the net,” the federation’s executive director, Valeri Fesyuk, told Sport-Express.

Nabokov will be sidelined for the rest of the event and a third goalkeeper will be announced soon.

Right now the Russians have only two netminders registered, Nabokov and Konstantin Barulin, but they have a third goalkeeper in the camp with Vasili Koshechkin (Severstal Cherepovets).