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1 апреля 2013 года. Kulikov finishes strong in 3-2 OT win // South Florida Sun - Sentinel Fialkov, Harvey. -- Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov turned a nightmarish start into a story-book ending in Saturday's dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils. Kulikov handed the Devils their first-period goal when his clearing pass went right to Stephen Gionta in between the faceoff circles, who then began a nifty tic-tac-toe exchange that ended up in the net on a backhand layup by former Panthers forward Steve Bernier. But Kulikov more than made up for it when in overtime his breakaway attempt up the middle was at first foiled by a poke check from Devils iconic goalie Martin Brodeur. However, defenseman Brian Campbell intercepted the ensuing clearing pass in the high slot before slipping a cross-ice pass to Kulikov in the red dot where he blasted home the game-winner at 1:43 of overtime. It was Kulikov's first goal of the season on his 38th shot to snap a 41-game goal drought dating back to Jan. 9, 2012, against the Canucks. "It's good to get [that first goal] out of the way, and especially to get a win for the team, there's nothing better," said Kulikov, who notched the third game-winner of his career. "We're playing a rival and to battle back like that makes it special. "It shows character. Guys don't give up, no matter what the score is we keep on going. We kept putting pucks on net, created traffic and got a goal." Kulikov has endured a rough fourth NHL season and it started with a mini-holdout in the abbreviated training camp until the Panthers re-signed their 2009 first-round pick to a two-year deal worth $5 million. Kulikov, 22, who began the season with a slight injury received during his lockout stint in the KHL, got off to a shaky start. Just when he started getting in a groove that resembled last year's production of 28 points (4 goals), he separated his shoulder on March 2 against the Hurricanes, and missed the next 10 games. Still, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen wasn't ready to hand out any bouquets to his young players -- yet. "I think you're seeing some snapshots of our future here," Dineen said. "The kids are starting to develop and are taking on a significant role with this team. But that was a full team effort tonight." The victory was the Panthers first two-game winning streak at home since, coincidentally, when they took two against these Devils in the first round of last April's Stanley Cup playoffs. Of course, their inability to win three straight at home ended their season with the Devils dancing on the Panthers' home ice after Adam Henrique's double-overtime winner in Game 7 on April 26. The Panthers last two-game home winning streak during the regular season came on March 15 and 17th against the Bruins and Sabres. The Panthers have won back-to-back post-regulation games but it's their first victory in the five-minute OT session this season (1-5). They also improved to 2-16-4 when the opposition scores first. ... Calder Trophy front-runner Jonathan Huberdeau picked up two assists and has five points in his past three games, giving him 25 points for the rookie lead over Tampa Bay's Cory Conacher, who he will face on Tuesday. ... Although the Panthers are 30th in the league and normally would be sellers before the trade deadline on Wednesday, most of the trading chips of General Manager Dale Tallon are either injured or have unmovable contracts. Tallon has repeatedly said he won't "mortgage the future," so his young prospects aren't going anywhere. |
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