SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is skating in his 1,000th National Hockey League regular season game tonight vs. the Los Angeles Kings. The Panthers will honor Kulikov’s milestone in a pregame ceremony prior to Florida’s 6 p.m. (ET) game against the New York Islanders on Sunday, Feb. 2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

Now that I’m coming up on 1,000, it still doesn’t make sense. It seems like I just started last year and now it’s Year 16.’

For going on three seasons now, the Florida Panthers’ Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad have consistently been one of the NHL’s top defense pairings. But getting to that consistently high level was a result of evolution by both players.

Kulikov registered an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Red Wings. Kulikov ended a seven-game slump when he helped out on an Anton Lundell tally. The 34-year-old Kulikov has handled top-four minutes for much of the season,

SUNRISE, Fla. – Take a bow, Dmitry Kulikov. When the Florida Panthers host the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, the veteran defenseman will suit up in the 1,000 th game of his career. A special milestone, he will become the 402nd skater to hit that mark in NHL history.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (upper body) is good to go for Saturday's game against the San Jose Sharks. After missing eight of the last nine games, Ekblad came through Friday's practice session without any issues.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (undisclosed) will not play against Anaheim on Saturday. He will remain out of the lineup for a fifth consecutive game. Ekblad's next chance to return will be on Tuesday in a rematch with the Ducks.

Ekblad (upper body) practiced Friday and head coach Paul Maurice said "there's a chance" the defenseman plays Saturday versus the Sharks. Ekblad was on the top pairing during the practice session ...

Aaron Ekblad is back with the Florida Panthers when they play the San Jose Sharks tonight at 10. Ekblad got hurt Jan. 3 against the Penguins but played much of that game; after missing a game in Colorado,

Ekblad (upper body) will play Saturday against San Jose, according to Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network. Ekblad missed eight of the last nine games, including seven straight outings.