Jan 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (2) plays his position against the Boston Bruins during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/851c08eb-928b-4688-8fce-3704abce404b.jpeg] Jan 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (2) plays his position against the Boston Bruins during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) The Florida Panthers will have a new face in the locker room this week. On Tuesday, the Panthers recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers. The move is due to an injury suffered by Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov on Sunday against the New York Islanders. Kulikov left the game late in the first period after being involved in a hit with New York’s Anthony Duclair. Clutching his right arm, Kulikov skated off the ice and immediately went to Florida’s locker room. Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice did not have any update on Kulikov following the game, and he won’t be heard from until after Florida’s practice on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale. Bjornfot will join the Panthers for the final two games of their six-game roadie, which will be on Thursday in Columbus and Saturday in Washington D.C. He played eight games with Florida back in January, averaging 13:24 of ice time while racking up eight shots on goal, 10 hits, five blocked shots and earning a plus-2 on-ice rating with zero penalty minutes. The 23-year-old is having a solid season in Charlotte, with 2 goals, 16 points and 22 penalty minutes through 43 AHL contests. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers return to South Florida mid-road trip after dropping 3 of past 4 games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-return-to-south-florida-mid-road-trip-after-dropping-3-of-past-4-games] Three takeaways: Panthers going through it, breakaways remain an issue [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-panthers-going-through-it-breakaways-remain-an-issue] Panthers surrender another late 2-goal lead, lose on Long Island 4-2 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-surrender-another-late-2-goal-lead-lose-on-long-island-4-2] Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov leaves Panthers game early after suffering upper-body injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/defenseman-dmitry-kulikov-leaves-panthers-game-early-after-suffering-upper-body-injury] Panthers challenging road trip continues with stop on Long Island [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-challenging-road-trip-continues-with-stop-on-long-island]
