Local

Better late than never? Kulikov ready to return

Better late than never? Kulikov ready to return Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) skates with the puck while playing the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely) (Philip G. Pavely/AP)

PITTSBURGH — Dmitry Kulikov made it into all of three games and part of a fourth after the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him from Anaheim at the NHL trade deadline.

That was enough to log 50 minutes, 39 seconds of ice time, during which Kulikov was credited with one assist, six hits and four blocked shots.

Perhaps it even gave him a chance to get on a first-name basis with most of his teammates, and to begin to get comfortable with coach Mike Sullivan’s systems.

But was it enough to prepare Kulikov, who hasn’t played since being injured against the New York Rangers March 12, to step into a high-stakes situation with a team battling to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Click here to read more from PittsburghHockeyNOW.com.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

TRENDING NOW:

  • Winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1 million sold in Westmoreland County
  • Louisville police: 4 killed, 8 injured in shooting downtown; shooter dead
  • Former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Bourque auctioning off Stanley Cup rings, jerseys to help his mother
  • VIDEO: Man struck by vehicle on South Side as officers called to shots fired
  • DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
    • TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS

    ©2023 Cox Media Group

    Most Read