"We both understand it is a battle out there," said Heatley. "You will have two very good hockey countries going at it, there are no friends. I don't think we'll talk too much on the ice and maybe we'll talk after the game."

If anyone knows Kovalchuk it is Heatley, and vice versa. "He's going to be dangerous the moment he steps out onto the ice. He'll be fired up tomorrow."

Kovalchuk tries to keep Russia's hopes alive

Kovalchuk is also looking forward to the match, and said of his teammate and current rival: "Dany is talented but I am here to help Russia win. We can talk about other things after it is all over."

Ilya Kovalchuk:

Coming off what he calls his worst game of the tournament, Kovalchuk will want to use this game as a springboard into the next round. Everything started out with great promise at the World Championships for Kovalchuk, but in the two games of the Qualification Round he's reverted to some bad tendencies like overhandling the puck and trying to do too much. Kovalchuk needs to keep things simple out on the ice rather than trying to look like Mr. All World. With an excellent passer in Pavel Datsyuk, Kovalchuk has to find his own spaces on the ice and wait for those passes to come. Oftentimes at the World Championships, the Preliminary Round can be deceiving. As there is a disparity between the top six or seven hockey countries and the remaining top Division I squads, sometimes bad habits accumulate through the first three games. Then once the hockey becomes more intense and the teams better, players have already fooled themselves into thinking they can do the same things against Sweden as they could against, say, Austria. Kovalchuk, like others before him, is guilty of it but he's fully capable of pulling himself back together and playing great hockey. His opening round success gave him a lot of confidence, but he cannot stickhandle through everyone. What is scary to think is that Kovalchuk will be a 50- or 60-goal-scorer someday in the NHL. He is still learning how to break down defenses and how to come back on in his own end, but the tools are all there. He is not afraid to fight, as witnessed by his scrap with Mike Comrie this season, but with so many Edmonton Oilers on the Canadian side and the history of Kovalchuk and his run-ins with that team, it should be fun to watch all around.

Dany Heatley:

In the short history of the Atlanta franchise, he has become the all-time leading scorer in only his first two full seasons of National Hockey League play. Heatley starred at the University of Wisconsin, playing alongside Team Canada buddy Steve Reinprecht. Drafted second overall in the 2000, Heatley came into the NHL last season and made the transition quickly. Over his two NHL seasons, he has been the model of consistency. He was a revelation this year as his goal total jumped from 26 to 41 and points from 67 to 89. In his first NHL All-Star game, Heatley not only represented the Thrashers well but showed everyone in attendance and the millions watching the broadcast why he is on the verge of superstardom. Heatley scored four goals in the game en route to being named the game MVP. The New York Islanders are probably going to kick themselves for a long time for not selecting Heatley when they had the chance with the first overall pick. At last year's IIHF World Championships in Sweden, Heatley was not as sharp as he could have been but that did not stop him from coming back this year and proving, beyond the shadow of a doubt, he is going to be a special player for a long time. Tonight is a great opportunity for him to add another chapter to this developing story.