SUNRISE, Fla. – Take a bow, Dmitry Kulikov.
When the Florida Panthers host the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, the veteran defenseman will suit up in the 1,000th game of his career.
A special milestone, he will become the 402nd skater to hit that mark in NHL history.
“You just start in the league kind of fresh and try to make an impact on the team,” Kulikov said. “As the game evolves, it just kind of demands different things from you -- different systems, different coaches. Over the years, I’ve just kind of evolved into who I am now.”
Originally selected by the Panthers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov, who’s played for eight different teams, has spent 587 of his 999 career games with Florida.
Returning last season, he helped the Panthers capture their first-ever Stanley Cup.
“It’s pretty special,” said Kulikov, who stands as Florida’s all-time leader in hits with 970. “I’m very fortunate to hit a milestone like this with this group. I was very fortunate to be on the team last year, too, to give me the best memories of my career.”
As a team, the Panthers want to start off their homestand on the right foot.
Sitting second in the Atlantic Division at 29-19-3, the defending Stanley Cup champions went 2-2-0 on their four-game trip, including suffering a 2-1 loss to the Kings on Jan. 22.
Leading 1-0 after 40 minutes in Los Angeles, the Panthers surrendered two goals and were outshot 14-5 in the third period as the Kings came from behind to steal a win on home ice.
Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in goals (29) and points (53), while Matthew Tkachuk is second in scoring with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists). Aleksander Barkov is third in scoring with 41 points (11 goals, 30 assists) and is winning a team-leading 60.9% of his faceoffs.
Owning a 20-11-2 record, Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease for Florida.
Winning both his starts on the road trip, he went 2-0-0 with a .925 save percentage.
“We just haven’t been home very much,” head coach Paul Maurice said of tonight’s tilt. “We had a full practice on December 8th, and then had the next one around the 27th. Then go back eight road games a month in two months. We could be phenomenal tonight, or it could take us a few minutes to get into this one. We’ve kind of prepped for both of those.”
Occupying third place in the Pacific Division at 26-15-6, the Kings have dropped each of the first two games on their road trip. Following a 3-2 overtime loss at Columbus on Saturday, they were on the wrong end of a 5-2 beatdown at Detroit on Monday.
Nearly unbeatable at home with a 15-3-1 record, the Kings are just 11-12-5 on the road.
Taking a closer look at the split, the Kings are averaging 2.64 goals scored and 2.82 goals allowed on the road, compared to 3.21 goals scored and 2.05 goals allowed at home.
Adrian Kempe, who scored in the win over the Panthers last week, leads Los Angeles in goals (24) and points (44), while Anze Kopitar ranks second in scoring with 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists). Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere have 29 and 28 points, respectively.
Out of action since breaking his ankle in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 25, Drew Doughty is reportedly nearing a return to action for the Kings.
A former Norris Trophy winner, the 35-year-old veteran has suited up in 1,177 NHL games.
At the time of this writing, his status for tonight’s game remains up in the air.
“We will expect him to play, but that’s not going to change their team game or what they’re trying to do,” Maurice said. “We’re more focused here on the matchup.”
Owning a 14-5-6 record, Darcy Kuemper could get the nod in net for Los Angeles.
An elite possession team, the Kings rank second in the NHL with a 55.40 xGF% at 5-on-5.
“They’re very, very consistent,” Maurice said. “They give up very few shots, they block an awful lot of shots, they battle and do get some action off the rush with their speed. Their heavy net front, they’ve got some size that gets to your net.”
Hitting a personal milestone, Maurice will coach his 1,900th game in the NHL tonight.
THEY SAID IT
“It’s a huge, huge number. There’s just not a lot of people that get to it. I think it’s even more challenging to do as a defenseman. If you’re defensive defenseman, a penalty killer, a shot blocker and hitter, that’s a hard number to get to.” – Paul Maurice on Dmitry Kulikov reaching 1,000 NHL games
“His feel for the game, the way he can prepare us for any match, he’s very professional. It’s no surprise that he’s hitting a milestone like that.” – Dmitry Kulikov on Paul Maurice reaching 1,9000 NHL games coached
FIVE CATS STATS
- The Panthers lead the NHL in shots on goal per game at home (33.3).
- Dmitry Kulikov leads Florida’s defensemen with 90 hits.
- Sam Reinhart has logged a team-high 23 points at home.
- Matthew Tkachuk has dished out a team-high 18 primary assists.
- The Panthers are 7-0-0 when Eetu Luostarinen scores a goal.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov
Uvis Balinskis – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan. 26: D Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Jan. 6: D Tobias Bjornfot recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Amerant Bank Arena – Sunrise, FL
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 96.5 WPOW-FM HD-2 (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM Channel 219 / App & Streaming 931
Tickets: Click Here
Theme: Star Wars Night