Injuries sideline Ekblad and Kulikov. The Panthers recall defensemen Bjornfot and Hovorka from Charlotte to bolster their depleted blue line.
The Florida Panthers have brought up a pair of defenseman to make up for the team’s latest injuries.
On Tuesday, Florida blueliners Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov suffered separate injuries after being hit by the puck during the Panthers’ 6-3 win over Ottawa.
While the ultimate prognosis on both has not been determined, early indications were that both would be out of the lineup in at least the short term.
As a result, Florida has brought up defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and Mikulas Hovorka from the Charlotte Checkers, according to the AHL Transactions Log.
Bjornfot has played 11 games with the Panthers this season, racking up two goals and an assist to go with a plus-4 on-ice rating.
Hovorka played his first NHL game with Florida back in February, skating to a minus-3 rating in 11:27 of ice time during a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay.
The Panthers are back in action on Thursday night when they host the Boston Bruins at Amerant Bank Arena.
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Photo caption: Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (22) shoots the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)