Kulikov sustained an upper-body injury Sunday against the Islanders and will not return.
Kulikov immediately departed the game after suffering his injury on a play in which he received a minor penalty for holding against New York's Anthony Duclair. Kulikov will presumably be fully evaluated when the team returns to Florida after Sunday's game. The Panthers are already without Aaron Ekblad (suspension) on the blue line, and if Kulikov has to miss any time, the team will have to summon a defenseman from AHL Charlotte -- Tobias Bjornfot, who has made eight appearances with Florida this season, would probably be first in line for a promotion.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine Sunday
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Vanecek will defend the road net against the Islanders on Sunday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Vanecek will get the second half of the Panthers' back-to-back after Sergei Bobrovsky played in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Montreal. During his Florida debut, the 29-year-old Vanecek earned a 21-save shutout in a 4-0 victory over Buffalo on March 8. The Islanders sit 28th in the league with 2.66 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich: Nets lone goal in Saturday's loss
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Samoskevich scored a goal, added two PIM and logged three hits in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Canadiens.
Samoskevich has scored in every second game since Feb. 25, racking up five goals and three assists over nine contests in that span. The 22-year-old is finding consistent success in a second-line role while the Panthers await the returns of Brad Marchand (upper body) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin). For the season, Samoskevich has 13 goals, 25 points, 100 shots on net, 104 hits and a plus-2 rating through 58 appearances. His role will decrease eventually, but fantasy managers can deploy him as a depth forward until that happens.
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Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Falls to Habs on Saturday
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Bobrovsky made 12 saves in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Montreal.
The Canadiens' skaters had trouble actually getting shots on net, but when they did, they tended to take advantage. Bobrovsky has gone nine straight starts without allowing more than three goals, a stretch in which he's posted a 6-3-0 record with a stellar 1.70 GAA and .928 save percentage.
Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Between pipes Saturday
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Bobrovsky will patrol the visiting blue paint in Montreal on Saturday, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Bobrovsky is 6-2-0 in his last eight starts, giving up only 12 goals on 193 shots (.938 save percentage). He is 28-14-2 with four shutouts, a 2.49 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 44 games this season. The Canadiens sit 16th in NHL with 2.95 goals per game in 2024-25.
Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich: Adds pair of power-play assists
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Samoskevich notched two power-play assists, four shots on goal and two hits in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
This was Samoskevich's first multi-point effort since Jan. 21 versus the Ducks. He hasn't been cold lately though, earning four goals and three assists over his last eight outings after helping out on both of Sam Bennett's tallies Thursday. For the season, Samoskevich is at 12 goals, 12 helpers, 99 shots on net, 101 hits and a plus-2 rating over 57 appearances. He's taken some time to grow into a top-six role, but the Panthers have allowed him to do so and he's rewarding the savvy fantasy manager now with a productive March.
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Panthers' Sam Reinhart: Two power-play assists in win
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Reinhart logged a pair of power-play assists and four hits in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
Reinhart has racked up six points, including four on the power play, over his last four games. Only one of those was a goal, his lone tally across 12 contests dating back to Feb. 4 versus the Capitals. The 29-year-old is still above a point-per-game pace with 70 points (32 goals, 38 helpers) through 66 appearances. Reinhart has added 25 power-play points, 174 shots on net, 80 hits, 56 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating while seeing steady top-six usage and power-play time.
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Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Goes up all-time goalie greats list
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Bobrovsky made 23 saves in a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Remember that time, not that long ago, that people thought Bobrovsky's game was headed sharply down? That was just a couple seasons ago, and Thursday, Bob notched his 424th career win. That moved Bobrovsky past Tony Esposito into 10th place on the NHL's all-time list. He's 5-1-0 in his last six games with two shutouts and just nine goals allowed. And he's 28-14-2 this season, with a 2.49 GAA and .907 save percentage.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Career season continues
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Mikkola scored a goal in a 3-2 win over Toronto on Thursday.
Mikkola's second-period goal put the Panthers up 2-1. He skated down from the blue line and into the slot, where he received a pass and shot over Anthony Stolarz's blocker. Mikkola has never been known as a scorer, but he continues to build on a career season. He has five goals, 16 assists and 92 shots in 61 games. All are career marks or soon to be ones. Mikkola's previous high came last season with three goals, 14 assists and 93 shots.
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Panthers' Sam Bennett: Four-game, five-point streak
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Bennett scored two power-play goals Thursday in a 3-2 win over Toronto.
Bennett's first goal was a jam play on a rebound from the top of the crease. He got his second late in the third from the low slot on a feed from Sam Bennett from behind the net. Bennett is riding a four-game, five-point scoring streak (three goals, two assists). He's just five points from matching his career mark of 49 set in 2021-22 and on pace to deliver 55 this season.
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Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Defending cage against Leafs
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Bobrovsky will guard the crease on the road versus Toronto on Thursday.
Bobrovsky was riding a four-game winning streak before falling to the Bruins on Tuesday. Still, the veteran backstop is 4-1-0 in his last five outings with a .941 save percentage and two shutouts. The Russian may not be taking home the Vezina Trophy this season -- that honor appears to be firmly headed to Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck -- but Bobrovsky should still receive a nomination as he likely cruises to another 30-win campaign.
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Panthers' Jonah Gadjovich: Practicing Thursday
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Gadjovich (personal) returned to practice Thursday, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
Gadjovich missed the last two games. He has three goals in 28 games this season. Gadjovich could see fourth-line action Thursday in Toronto, or he could be a healthy scratch yet again.
Kulikov scored a goal, added two PIM, logged three hits and blocked four shots in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Bruins.
Kulikov has a point in each of the last two contests since he put an end to his 11-game point drought. The 34-year-old blueliner has a chance to see his importance in shutdown situations rise, as Aaron Ekblad (suspension) is out until the third game of the postseason. Kulikov is up to 13 points, 62 shots on net, 107 hits, 68 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 65 appearances, so he won't be a replacement for the offense lost from Ekblad's absence.
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Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich: Tallies on power play
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Samoskevich scored a power-play goal on four shots and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Bruins.
Samoskevich stayed hot with his fourth goal and fifth point over his last seven outings. The tally gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the third period, but the advantage didn't last. For the season, Samoskevich is up to 12 goals, 22 points, 95 shots on net, 99 hits and a plus-2 rating over 56 contests. It's a decent rookie campaign, and now that he's in a top-six role, he has some fantasy appeal in redraft leagues as well.
