A Florida Panthers defenseman had his nose broken during an NHL game against the Ottawa Senators

Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov suffered a broken nose during a game against the Ottawa Senators, which ended in a 6-3 victory for his team. 

In the third period, the puck struck the Russian in the face after a powerful shot, causing serious injury and breathing difficulties, according to Glavkom. Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed that due to this injury, the 35-year-old veteran will miss the next game against the Boston Bruins.

The current season has been a rough one for the Russian player: he has already missed 57 games due to hip surgery, and in the 17 games since his return, he has not scored a single point. Despite the severity of the facial injury, the coaching staff hopes the player will return as early as this weekend in the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, provided the swelling subsides. Currently, the Panthers are in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference and risk missing the playoffs.

The situation on defense is further complicated by an injury to star defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who broke his finger and may miss the remainder of the regular season. To bolster the roster, Florida has urgently called up Tobias Björnfors and Mikuláš Hovorka from the farm team. Forward Cole Schwindt is also expected to return. The team is forced to rotate its lineup amid an overcrowded infirmary, trying to keep its chances alive to continue competing this season. 

Legendary Czech hockey goaltender and Olympic champion Dominik Hašek stated that hosting the Paralympics would contribute to the legitimization of Russia’s crimes against Ukraine.