Strong performances for Russia's bronze medal-winning squad at the IIHF World Championship has earned a number of players a roster spot on the country's final World Cup roster, announced Friday.

Tournament leading scorer Vadim Shipachyov and linemate Evgeny Dadonov join the Russian squad after dominating on a line with Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks. Meanwhile, future Toronto Maple Leafsblue-liner Nikita Zaitsev made the team after being named a tournament All-Star.

Here's a look at the rest of the roster.

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

Defensemen

Alexei Emelin, Montreal Canadiens *
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers
Alexey Marchenko, Detroit Red Wings *
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals
Slava Voynov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) *
Nikita Zaitsev, Toronto Maple Leafs *

Forwards

Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Evgeny Dadonov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) *
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nikolay Kulemin, New York Islanders
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks
Vadim Shipachyov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) *
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
Ivan Telegin, CSKA Moscow (KHL) *

* Named to roster Friday

The World Cup is set to take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 in Toronto.

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Steven Stamkos didn't do much in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has no regrets about playing.

"Extremely proud. It was special for me to get back on the ice with these guys. With this group," the captain said after Tampa Bay's 2-1 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports.

"Such a tight group .. such a team that has gone through a lot this year. Different types of adversity. And we've come through with flying colors, but it just didn't happen tonight."

Stamkos saw his first action in exactly eight weeks after having surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He played only 11:55 in the elimination game, registering two shots on goal, and he had trouble driving puck possession.

Stamkos posted a Corsi For percentage of only 36.36 at even strength, and wasn't much better in all situations, in which he controlled possession at a 46.15 percent clip.

"These are usually the kind(s) of moments when things go well because of the things that you endure as a group," Stamkos said postgame. "But for whatever reason, we're going to have to learn from this and come back stronger."

Stamkos was hardly the only Lightning player to struggle Thursday. Tampa Bay was outshot 39-17, and only Nikita Kucherov drove possession at 50 percent or more in all situations.

Lightning forward Brian Boyle appreciated Stamkos' presence in the lineup even in a losing effort.

"It was great for us," Boyle said. "He's our leader. We love him."

Stamkos' future is uncertain - both from a health standpoint and in terms of his contract - and stands to be the biggest NHL storyline this summer.

(Analytics courtesy: HockeyStats.ca)

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Steven Stamkos didn't do much in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has no regrets about playing.

"Extremely proud. It was special for me to get back on the ice with these guys. With this group," the captain said after Tampa Bay's 2-1 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports.

"Such a tight group .. such a team that has gone through a lot this year. Different types of adversity. And we've come through with flying colors, but it just didn't happen tonight."

Stamkos saw his first action in exactly eight weeks after having surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He played only 11:55 in the elimination game, registering two shots on goal, and he had trouble driving puck possession.

Stamkos posted a Corsi For percentage of only 36.36 at even strength, and wasn't much better in all situations, in which he controlled possession at a 46.15 percent clip.

"These are usually the kind(s) of moments when things go well because of the things that you endure as a group," Stamkos said postgame. "But for whatever reason, we're going to have to learn from this and come back stronger."

Stamkos was hardly the only Lightning player to struggle Thursday. Tampa Bay was outshot 39-17, and only Nikita Kucherov drove possession at 50 percent or more in all situations.

Lightning forward Brian Boyle appreciated Stamkos' presence in the lineup even in a losing effort.

"It was great for us," Boyle said. "He's our leader. We love him."

Stamkos' future is uncertain - both from a health standpoint and in terms of his contract - and stands to be the biggest NHL storyline this summer.

(Analytics courtesy: HockeyStats.ca)

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fell in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday, thanks in large part to special teams, according to Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.

"In the end, penalties hurt us," Cooper said, according to Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski. "It's not on the scoreboard, but it sucked the momentum out of us."

While the Lightning penalty kill was perfect in fending off five Pittsburgh Penguins power plays, the Lightning took six penalties, compared to Pittsburgh's three, including four in the second period.

"I don't know if we had 20 minutes of power play in this series, and I guarantee they had well over 40," Cooper said in a press conference. "When you're killing that much, it's just momentum killers for you, and that hurt us in the second period for sure."

The penalties also hurt as they kept Lightning captain Steven Stamkos off the ice. The 26-year-old - who returned from an eight-week absence - saw zero minutes of penalty kill time.

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Bryan Rust has a sense of timing.

The rookie provided all of the offense for the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, and Thursday wasn't his first time scoring twice this spring.

Rust also notched a pair of goals and added an assist in Pittsburgh's 6-3 series-clinching win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their first-round series.

The 24-year-old has five goals and three assists in 17 playoff games after managing only 11 points in 47 regular-season contests.

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Sidney Crosby is unlike many of his counterparts.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain showed no fear lifting the Prince of Wales Trophy on Thursday. The Penguins hoisted the trophy - awarded to the winner of the Eastern Conference - following their Game 7 victory, despite a common tradition to avoid doing so.

An unwritten rule by players usually sees clubs elect not to touch the trophy or the Western Conference's Clarence S. Campbell Bowl - the San Jose Sharks did not lift it on Wednesday - as a symbol that the team is waiting to hoist the Stanley Cup.

However, picking it up has served Crosby well in the past. After he refused to lift in in 2008 and lost in the Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings, he decided to forgo superstition in 2009 ahead of another meeting with those same Red Wings in the Final, this time capturing his first and only Stanley Cup.

Crosby is clearly hoping history will repeat itself.

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Bryan Rust scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night.

More to come.

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