The former Wild defenseman is just one win away from the Stanley Cup.
Former Wild defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is just one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head.
The Florida Panthers had a 3-0 series lead but with the Stanley Cup in the building in Edmonton, the Panthers lost game four on Saturday, 8-1. The Oilers have forced a game five back in Florida.
Now Kulikov has a chance to win the Stanley Cup back home.
Kulikov, 33, spent the first six years of his career in Florida after being drafted by the Panthers in 2009. He later went to Buffalo where he only played 47 games. He then played three years with the Winnipeg Jets and even had a short stint with the Oilers.
The 6-foot-1 defenseman was with the Wild for just one season despite signing a two-year deal. He played in 80 regular season games with the Wild in 2021-22 after he spent the last year playing for both the New Jersey Devils and the Oilers.
He recorded seven goals, 17 assists, and 24 points in the 80 regular seasons games and was a plus-23 as well. But after a brutal two games in the playoffs with the Wild, Minnesota eventually traded him to the Anaheim Ducks after the season for future considerations.
The following year the Ducks traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline. Kulikov then entered free agency and signed a one-year contract with the Panthers at $1 million. He has played in all 21 playoff games with the Panthers and is now one win away from winning the Stanley Cup.
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