The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Monday that Florida Panthers’ defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head against Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary.
The incident occurred at the 3:38 mark of the second period of Saturday’s game between the Panthers and Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL. Kulikov was assessed a match penalty on the play.
Sheary returned to the game after missing less than half a period and ultimately logged 9:29 of total ice time. The Lightning defeated the Panthers by a 5–3 final score.
The Panthers originally selected Kulikov with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. The Lipetsk, Russia product spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career with the Panthers before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2016.
After one season in Buffalo, Kulikov spent time with the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, and Pittsburgh Penguins before returning to the Panthers last summer on a one-year contract.
Through 936 career games over parts of 15 seasons with eight different NHL teams, Kulikov has collected 45 goals and 230 points. He’s added eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 29 career playoff contests.
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