SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is skating in his 1,000th National Hockey League regular season game tonight vs. the Los Angeles Kings. The Panthers will honor Kulikov’s milestone in a pregame ceremony prior to Florida’s 6 p.m. (ET) game against the New York Islanders on Sunday, Feb. 2 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Kulikov, 34, becomes the 402nd skater to play in 1,000 NHL games. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Lipetsk, Russia is the 135th defenseman, third Russian-born defenseman and eighth Russian-born skater to achieve the feat. He also becomes the 13th player to reach the milestone while with the Panthers, joining Greg Adams, Brian Campbell, Radek Dvorak, Mike Foligno, Chris Gratton, Roberto Luongo, Bryan McCabe, Scott Mellanby, Kirk Muller, Lyle Odelein, Cory Stillman and Keith Yandle. Originally selected by Florida in the first round (14th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov joins Dvorak as the second Florida draft pick to reach 1,000 games while a member of the club.
Through his 1,000 regular season games with eight NHL teams, including 588 with Florida, Kulikov has amassed 244 career points (49-195-244). He ranks second among Florida defensemen in games played all time and sixth among the group with 168 points (32-136-168). His 970 hits with Florida are the most by a blueliner since the NHL began tracking in 2005-06, while he ranks second behind Aaron Ekblad (785) with 749 blocked shots.
Kulikov has appeared in 53 career NHL playoff games, totaling 10 points (1-9-10). He has produced seven points (1-6-7) in 37 postseason contests with the Panthers including the secondary assist on Sam Reinhart’s Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the Cup Final vs. Edmonton on June 24, 2024, sealing the first championship in team history.
Catch your Florida Panthers in action this season! 2024-25 single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com or at Amerant Bank Arena Box Office (Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Fans can learn more about ticketing options and join the waitlist for future Florida Panthers Territory Memberships by visiting **FloridaPanthers.com/tickets** or by calling the PUCK line (954.835.PUCK).