With Malkin and Ovechkin in the line-up Russia beats France

Russia, with both Ovechkin and Malkin on the ice, scored one goal in each of the three periods to get past France in the World Championship quarter finals.

Malkin was the most successful of the two superstars. He scored the second Russian goal and got an assist on the third.

"It was a good win but we could have played better and been more effective", Malkin says after the game.

France had a tough start of the game and at 4:21 Russia took the lead when Artyom Anisimov beat Cristobal Huet in the net.

Malkin scored his goal early in the second period after the French captain Laurent Meunier had been sent to the penaly box late in the first.

At 47:26 Alexander fired a hard one-timer and Huet was beaten for the third time.

Sergei Bobrovski in the Russian net saved all 16 shots he saved today and Russia won the game 3-0.

Russia will play Sweden in the first of Saturday's semi finals. For France the tournament is over.

"We have the heart. I think the biggest heart in the tournament.Twenty-five guys work hard for the same goal you are able to succeed," said French forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to IIHF.com. "This was a great way to highlight French hockey with as far as we came in this tournament."

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