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Fans had mixed reactions to the NHL Department of Player Safety issuing a hearing to the Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov for delivering a cross-check to the head of the Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary.
The incident occurred during the second period of the Panthers' 5-3 loss to the Bolts at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday. Kulikov caught Sheary with an elbow to the head as the two came together just above the goal line.
Connor Sheary's head was down, looking at the puck, when Kulikov skated onto him and delivered a direct hit to the head. Dmitry Kulikov received a five-minute major penalty for the hit and was eventually kicked out of the game on the play.
The decision was made after the puck found its way to Panthers' Josh Mahura while Sheary was down following the hit. Mahura slotted the puck into the Bolts' net.
The goal was initially called but later overturned during the review, resulting in Dmitry Kulikov's ejection. The Russian is now facing disciplinary action for an illegal check to the head of the Bolts forward.
He'll have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday. Here's how fans reacted to Dmitry Kulikov's hearing with NHL DOPS.
One tweeted:
"Shouldnt have even been a major."
Another wrote:
"Shouldnt have even been a Major, only gets called because of Karen Cooper crying to the refs."
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
Notably, Kulikov received a four-game suspension for a similar incident in which he interfered with Tyler Seguin during his first stint with the Florida Panthers in 2015. This is the only suspension that Conor Kulikov has faced in his career.
Dmitry Kulikov's ejection results in Panthers losing to Lightning
Tampa Bay got off to a lightning start with goals from Steven Stamkos, Michael Eyssimont, and Darren Raddysh, giving the Bolts a four-goal lead in the second period.
The Florida Panthers fought back and rallied from the four-goal deficit to make it 4-3 in the third period. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart helped the hosts with goals.
However, with less than two minutes remaining before the end of the regulation period, Nikita Kucherov landed the final blow as his goal sealed a 5-3 win for the Bolts.
The Panthers take on the Nashville Predators on Thursday while the Bolts will be up against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
