Dmitry Kulikov out week-to-week with upper-body injury

The Florida Panthers are facing another setback as defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is now listed as week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. The news was shared by Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Wednesday. Kulikov got hurt after a collision with New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair during the first period of a game that saw the Panthers lose 4-2 on Sunday. This injury follows the suspension of top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has been out since March 10 for violating league policies regarding performance-enhancing substances. Since Ekblad's suspension, the Panthers have struggled, winning only one of their last four games. Kulikov, who had been playing well with 110 hits this season, was filling in on the second defensive pairing in Ekblad's absence. Kulikov is expected to return before the playoffs start, although his absence will be felt. He has contributed four goals and nine assists in 68 games this season and has a career total of 247 points across 1,016 games with eight teams.