GREENBURGH, N.Y. _ Henrik Lundqvist's hockey season isn't quite over.
The Rangers goaltender, who said he hasn't slept well since the Blueshirts were eliminated from the playoffs by the Senators on Tuesday, said he was joining Team Sweden, which is captained by his twin brother Joel, for the world championships in Paris.
Lundqvist, 35, said he made the decision on Wednesday night.
"There's definitely gas left in the tank here," Lundqvist said Thursday as the team prepared for the off season. "I was preparing to play for another month. I hope to end strong. ... You think about what you could have done differently. It's obviously going to hurt for awhile. I'll analyze a little more after that."
As for next year's team, Lundqvist, a 12-year veteran, said "you always expect changes ... it's up to management, but you always expect to see some guys go and some new faces. Did we have a chance to win this year? Absolutely. There's definitely some good things here, but at the same time, we came up short."
This is Lundqvist's fourth time at the world championships, and first since 2008. Sweden won the silver medal in 2004. In 22 world championship appearances, Lundqvist has 14 wins.
As of this moment, there are no plans for the NHL to send players to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
"I see this as an opportunity to play for my country one more time," Lundqvist said.
Team Sweden's roster includes former Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman, as well as NHL defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Victor Hedman and John Klingberg.
