Florida Panthers defenceman Dmitry Kulikov has been suspended two games for illegal check to the head on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary.
Florida’s Dmitry Kulikov has been suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head on Tampa Bay’s Conor Sheary. https://t.co/2y8l6MHqPW
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 18, 2024
Early in the second period of Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Lightning, Kulikov skated in and caught Sheary in the head in front of the Lightning crease. He was given a five-minute major and a match penalty.
Kulikov, 33, has 16 assists in 64 games this season with the Panthers, his eighth with the team.
Drafted 14th overall by Florida at the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov has also had NHL stints with the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins before returning to the Panthers this season.
