Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was suspended two games for an illegal check to the head delivered to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary.
In a 5-3 loss on Saturday night, Kulikov delivered a check to the head of Sheary seconds before Josh Mahura picked the puck up and scored.
Kulikov will miss Florida’s games Thursday against Nashville and Saturday’s nationally-televised game against the New York Rangers.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Kulikov will forfeit $10,416.66 in salary.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Kulikov was initially given a match penalty for the hit; Mahura’s goal was taken off the board upon review of the play.
Per the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, Kulikov “saw Sheary in a vulnerable position” and “ignored the puck entirely” before he “leaned into the head and made it the main point of contact on a hit where such contact was avoidable.”
Kulikov was last suspended during the 2014-15 season in his first tour with the Panthers, getting four games for a hit on Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars which resulted in a knee injury.
Monday, Florida coach Paul Maurice said newly-acquired defenseman Rudy Bjornfot could make his debut with the Panthers on Thursday.
Bjornfot was picked up off waivers on March 8 just before the NHL Trade Deadline from Vegas.
Florida currently has six healthy — and non-suspended — defensemen on the roster with Aaron Ekblad out with injury.
Ekblad skated prior to Florida’s practice Monday.
The Panthers could recall a defenseman such as Uvis Balinskis or Lucas Carlsson from AHL Charlotte prior to Thursday.
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