Oilers star Draisaitl to join co-host Germany at hockey worlds

The Edmonton Oilers say star forward Leon Draisaitl will join co-host Germany at the world hockey championship.

Draisaitl is coming off a breakout NHL season with the Oilers, finishing eighth in league scoring with 77 points (29 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games.

He added 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 13 playoff games, including a memorable three goal, two assist performance in Game 6 of Edmonton's Western Conference semifinal with Anaheim. The Oilers ended up losing that series in seven games.

The Germans are playing their world championship games in Cologne, Draisaitl's birthplace. Germany is fourth in Group A with one regulation win, one overtime win and two regulation losses (five points).

Germany's next game is Friday against Denmark.

Lundqvist teaming up with twin 

Veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is joining Sweden at the ice hockey world championships following the New York Rangers' recent elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators beat the Rangers 4-2 in Game 6 of their second-round series Tuesday, meaning that the 35-year-old Lundqvist is free to join the national team.

Nine-time world champion Sweden won 2-0 against previously unbeaten Latvia on Thursday and is in fourth place in Group A, with two wins and two defeats — one of those in a shootout — for seven points.

The Swedes will be confident of further wins against last-place Italy on Friday and next-to-last Denmark on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear when Lundqvist will be available to play.

But he is set to play for the first time in a top-level senior international event with his twin brother Joel Lundqvist, who is Sweden's captain and plays forward. The last time they played together internationally was at the 2002 junior worlds.