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TORONTO -- Russian great Pavel Datsyuk will be a game-time decision for Saturday's World Cup of Hockey semifinal against Canada. Datsyuk missed the final preliminary round game of the tournament, a must-win match with Finland on Thursday, and there was speculation he might miss the balance of the tournament. But the 38-year-old skated with his teammates Saturday morning taking occasional line rushes, and assistant Russian coach Harijs Vitolinsh said through an interpreter that Datsyuk was feeling better and that his availability for the one-game semifinal would be made right before the 7 p.m. ET game. The winner of Saturday's semifinal game between these two longtime international rivals will face the winner of Sunday's other semifinal between Sweden and Team Europe. Datsyuk had two assists in the two games in which he appeared in the tournament. Vadim Shipachev took Datsyuk's place in the Russian roster for Thursday's 3-0 win over Finland that allowed them to advance to the semifinals. The three-time winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward, Datsyuk left the Detroit Red Wings to return to Russia and his family after having played in 953 regular-season games for the NHL team. The four-time Olympian is currently playing with St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
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