The Florida Panthers will have a new face in the locker room this week.

On Tuesday, the Panthers recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers.

The move is due to an injury suffered by Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov on Sunday against the New York Islanders.

Kulikov left the game late in the first period after being involved in a hit with New York’s Anthony Duclair.

Clutching his right arm, Kulikov skated off the ice and immediately went to Florida’s locker room.

Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice did not have any update on Kulikov following the game, and he won’t be heard from until after Florida’s practice on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.

Bjornfot will join the Panthers for the final two games of their six-game roadie, which will be on Thursday in Columbus and Saturday in Washington D.C.

He played eight games with Florida back in January, averaging 13:24 of ice time while racking up eight shots on goal, 10 hits, five blocked shots and earning a plus-2 on-ice rating with zero penalty minutes.

The 23-year-old is having a solid season in Charlotte, with 2 goals, 16 points and 22 penalty minutes through 43 AHL contests.

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It looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins will be boarding a plane to Europe next season.

On Tuesday, the NHL announced that the Penguins and Nashville Predators will play games on Nov. 14 and 16 in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the league's Global Series during the 2025-26 season.

Sweden, we're coming back! 🇸🇪

The @penguins and @predsnhl will face each other in Stockholm at #NHLGlobalSeries on November 14th and 16th.

Pittsburgh och Nashville möts i Stockholm under #NHLGlobalSeries den 14:e och 16:e november! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mtqmkxqJN0

— NHL Sverige (@NHLsv) March 18, 2025

And for Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson - both of whom hail from Sweden - it's the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I came from a small town, so I never got the chance to see any professional hockey until I was probably 16 or 17," Karlsson said. "I think it's a great thing that the NHL does right now."

Back to their roots 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/dXPNt3ufmn

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 18, 2025

The Global Series during the 2024-25 season featured games in Prague, Czechia and Tampere, Finland between the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres. And the Penguins will return to Stockholm for the first time since 2008, when they kicked off their season there against the Ottawa Senators as part of the NHL Premiere Series.

"It's very exciting," said Rakell, who grew up just 10 miles outside of Stockholm in Sollentuna. "Just the chance to play in my home country and play in front of familly and friends and people growing up, different coaches that doesn't really have the chance to come and see me play over here. And my grandma, just for her to have the chance to see me play... it'll be a lot of fun."

WE'RE GOING INTERNATIONAL! 🇸🇪

The Penguins return to Sweden for two regular season games against the Predators on November 14th and 16th for the #NHLGlobalSeries! pic.twitter.com/T8GTx8JWZF

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 18, 2025

He also emphasized the prominent hockey interest and Sweden and how much it means to the kids aspiring to become NHL players.

"The Swedish Hockey League... it's a good league," Rakell said. "But everybody dreams of the NHL. The hockey interest is huge.

"I mean, for kids to have a chance to get close and watch NHL players and guys like Sid, Tanger, and Geno... it's a really big deal."

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The Buffalo Sabres are focused on finishing the 2024-25 season on a positive note after most of the campaign was dominated by the negative. On Monday, they notched their second win in a row in Boston, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Bruins on an Alex Tuch power-play goal. Barring an incredibly successful final 16 games, the Sabres are likely to finish in the bottom five of the NHL standings, and a number of questions will need to be addressed in the offseason.

One dilemma that may be increasing in complexity is Buffalo’s goaltending situation because of events outside the Sabres' sphere. A number of NHL clubs have prioritized locking up goaltenders who were pending unrestricted free agents to long-term extensions. Last week, the Vegas Golden Knights extended goalie Adin Hill to a six-year, $37.5 million deal. Hill joins Washington’s Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers, Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood, Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen, and Utah’s Karel Vejmelka in signing new deals.

The 2025 free agent class has now dwindled to a group of question marks, such as Alexandar Georgiev, Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, Frederik Andersen, Daniel Vladar, and Jake Allen, that does not appear to be an answer to a club looking for a #1 starter, which has the Sabres in a precarious position.

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Buffalo wisely decided to send youngster Devon Levi down to AHL Rochester early in the season and that has paid off with a 20-9-3 record, 2.29 GAA, and .915 save % with the Amerks. The 23-year-old’s entry-level contract expires in July, and with a number of clubs looking for goaltending help, the Sabres will have to find out what it will take to get Levi signed to a contract extension.

The Sabres will submit a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent, but as St. Louis did with Edmonton forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg, a club could sign Levi to an offer sheet, forcing Buffalo to match the offer or accept draft compensation. GM Kevyn Adams or whoever succeeds him will have to determine before July 1 whether they can get Levi signed to an extension. If the Sabres cannot or Levi demands to be a starter, then Adams will have to trade him or sign him and trade Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make room for him.

The lack of viable options in free agency could result in the likes of John Gibson, Tristan Jarry, and Thatcher Demko being moved, but the prospect of signing or dealing for Levi may be a more attractive option for teams looking for a younger and more durable netminder and that could drive the price teams are willing to pay. It is unlikely that the Sabres will be interested in paying more than $10 million in salary between Levi and Luukkonen when they have so many other areas of the club needing to be bolstered, so the odds are that at the start of training camp this September, one of Buffalo’s young goalies will be elsewhere.

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Top Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov has had a trying first full season playing in North America.

At one moment, Kolosov became the first Belarusian goalie to play in an NHL game. Next, Kolosov also won his first NHL game.

Then, Kolosov allowed 15 goals across his last three starts for the Flyers. It was back to the AHL just weeks after climbing his way up the depth chart to become the Flyers' backup goalie.

Fortunately, Kolosov is not alone in this battle. He has a friend within the Metropolitan Division-Washington Capitals forward, fellow countryman, and former Dinamo Minsk teammate Aliaksei Protas–willing to lend an ear and offer some advice if needed. He’s been there and done that.

“I try not to give out tips if they don’t ask me for them. Therefore, if [Kolosov] turns to me, of course, I will help him. But to intervene and get involved somewhere, not knowing the situation, I consider it wrong,” Protas told Sport-Express. “Lesha himself knows what he needs and is important, and I am always ready to help him if necessary.”

Protas himself was once a promising third-round pick out of Belarus, like Kolosov, only to achieve middling results in the early goings of his NHL career.

Before the 2024-25 season, the hulking 6-foot-6 forward had managed to score only 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points in 169 regular season games with the Capitals.

Translation: NHL prospects often take time to find their stride, and not all development paths are linear. This is especially true for goalies; the Flyers should know this better than most.

“I still adapt to [the NHL pace]. I try to develop, I know what to improve, and I understand how much more work is ahead,” Protas said. “After each game, I see that there is something to develop in. There is still a lot to the ceiling, so you need to work and work.”

Now 24 years old, nearly six years removed from draft night with over 200 NHL games under his belt, Protas has exploded for 29 goals, 30 assists, and 59 points and counting in 67 games with the Capitals this season.

For Kolosov, it might be wise to lean on his fellow Belarusians, like Protas, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Yegor Sharangovich, for example, and take something from each of them.

Protas says the Belarusians connect with each other “As much as possible. We try to talk before or after the games.”

Since being returned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms again on March 6, Kolosov has played three games, winning two and stopping 65 of 72 shots for a .902 aggregate save percentage.

In 15 games with the Flyers, Kolosov was only 4-8-1 with a 3.45 GAA and .870 save percentage, so there is still work to be done. At the same time, we all saw flashes of potential. If Protas’s journey so far tells us anything, patience is a virtue.

The Vancouver Canucks are down to their final 15 games of the regular season and will need a big push to qualify for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vancouver has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, which includes Tuesday's matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Overall, the odds do not look favourable on the Canucks chances, as MoneyPuck.com currently has them at a 29.3% chance of making the postseason. 

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According to MoneyPuck, the team with the best odds to make the playoffs off the three that Vancouver is battling is the St. Louis Blues at 38.8%, next are the Canucks at 29.3%, followed by the Utah Hockey Club at 24.2%. The last of the group is the Calgary Flames, who currently sit at 17.7%

As mentioned, Vancouver will take on Winnipeg Tuesday night, in what has turned into a must-win game for the Canucks. With a regulation win, Vancouver's playoff percentage jumps to 38%, while a regulation loss pushes them down to 21.8%. While a loss to the Jets doesn't eliminate the Canucks from playoff contention, it would put a significant dent in their chances of qualifying for the postseason. 

Vancouver wraps up their homestand with a visit from Winnipeg. Tuesday's game is also a special one as it is the annual Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT from Rogers Arena.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. 

New York Islanders prospect Dmitry Gamzin is closing in on a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

Hearing #Isles prospect goaltender Dmitri Gamzin is closing in on a two-year extension with CSKA.

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) March 18, 2025

Gamzin was selected by the Islanders 118th overall in the 2024 draft.

The 21-year-old. has played 24 games for CSKA Moscow -- that's the same team that Ilya Sorokin played for -- and holds a save percentage of .928 and a goals-against average of 2.24. 

Signing this extension would mean Gamzin has no plan of coming to the United States soon to play in the NHL or AHL. But, for comparison, Sorokin did not leave the KHL to play for the Islanders until he was 25. Cross-town rival Igor Shesterkin also did not leave the KHL until he was 25.

Whether it is for development purposes or other reasons, it seems like spending time in the KHL is a priority for some goalies, and Gamzin would potentially be open to coming to the NHL or AHL after this extension is up in the 2027-28 season.

Joseph LaChase wrote this story. 

William Karlsson and Raphael Lavoie returned to the Vegas Golden Knights practice today in full contact for the first time since they suffered their injuries.

Karlsson hasn't played since Jan. 20 after sustaining a lower-body injury. It's the second injury to keep Karlsson out of the lineup, and it's why he's played in just 38 games this season. 

Both GM Kelly McCrimmon and HC Bruce Cassidy recently stated that the 32-year-old's return was imminent, and today's practice is a great sign that this proves to be true. Karlsson was a full participant, taking line rushes with Nicolas Roy and Reilly Smith, replacing Victor Olofsson in the lineup.

Karlsson's offensive game hasn't been as apparent as it was just a season ago but his defensive game is vital to the Golden Knights success and it's why he's getting back into the lineup over Olofsson. 

Lines and pairs at practice:

Barbashev-Eichel-Stone
Saad-Hertl-Dorofeyev
Roy-Karlsson-Smith
Pearson-Howden-Kolesar

Hague-Pietrangelo
Hanifin-Whitecloud
McNabb-Korczak

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) March 18, 2025

The Golden Knights return to action on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, and it could mark Karlsson's return to the lineup.

Lavoie has been out of the lineup since Mar. 5, when he sustained an upper-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In nine games, Lavoie has failed to record a goal or point but has registered 16 hits and 10 shots on goal. 

If the Golden Knights are healthy by the time Lavoie is available to be reinstated from the injured reserve, he and Cole Schwindt will likely be sent to the AHL to accommodate the salary cap. 

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