Veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, a steady force on the blue line of the past two Stanley Cup title runs, will be out of the Florida Panthers’ lineup indefinitely after being placed on injured reserve.
Kulikov, 34, was injured in Florida’s second game of the season, a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday in which he played 11 shifts covering 7:47 time on the ice. After a collision with Flyers forward Bobby Brink on a second-period shift, he left the ice holding his right wrist.
The Panthers made his move to IR official on Friday, and on Saturday, after morning skate leading into his team’s 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, coach Paul Maurice told reporters that the veteran could need surgery.
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Florida, off to a 3-0-0 start, is already without captain Aleksander Barkov, who underwent knee surgery last month, and forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until at least December with a lower-body injury.
This is Kulikov’s second tenure with the Panthers. He appeared in 70 games last season, finishing with four goals and 13 points.
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