Dmitry Kulikov is expected to play Thursday night after he was a healthy scratch on Tuesday. He spoke with interim coach Peter Horachek before Wednesday's practice. "He needs to be assertive and confident; he needs to open his eyes and not look like somebody kicked his dog," the Panthers bench boss said. "You can't play hockey that way. You can't go to work that way. You shouldn't go home that way." He's had a difficult start to the 2013-14 campaign.

Dmitry Kulikov was a healthy scratch Tuesday. "I think most of this is mental," said Kulikov. "The mistakes I have made weren't forced. I shouldn't have made them. What happened, happened, just work hard to get it out of me and not worry about it. I don't think I was playing bad enough to get thrown out of the lineup, but it's the coach's decision." He has been committing bad turnovers and has struggled to produce with just three points in 27 games.

Struggling defenseman Dmitry Kulikov received some advice from injured veteran Ed Jovanovski. "Young players go through times where it feels like the world is crashing in on you," Jovanovski said. "When nothing seems to be working. I told [Kulikov] to have a good practice, make tape-to-tape passes and work hard. Sometimes skill isn't enough. It's not going to come to you, you've got to work your way out if it. The biggest lesson is less is more. A young defenseman has the tendency to do a little bit extra and it backfires. Get the puck moving, make your first pass, get it out of the zone and let someone else worry about what happens next. He'll come out of it. He's too good a player." The two of them worked on some things during Monday's practice. Kulikov has three points, 35 penalty minutes and a minus-9 rating this season.

Florida interim coach Peter Horachek wants to see much more consistent efforts from Dmitry Kulikov. "He's an extremely talented young man and I think he has to process better," said Horachek on Tuesday. "Whenever he makes mistakes, it's recognizing his awareness on the ice and recognizing what the situation is. He's capable of making a great play and a bad play all at the same time. He's a guy we're constantly monitoring because of the talent level that he has. He's got to be more consistent." Coaches and fantasy GMs have been waiting for Kulikov to live up to expectations, but in the past he hasn't been able to stay healthy and now he's struggling to produce points. He's a restricted free agent after this season and he's been the subject of plenty of trade rumors.

Dmitry Kulikov recorded a goal in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Chicago. It was his first point in 10 games this year. Kulikov's sluggish start has led to some trade rumblings. On Tuesday, some rumors linked him to the Toronto Maple Leafs but GM Dale Tallon called those "hearsay."

Dmitry Kulikov's night came to an end quickly in Florida's first game of the year. He was ejected for getting into a secondary fight with Ryan Garbutt at 11:20 of the first period. Florida defenseman Mike Weaver and Stars forward Antoine Roussel had already dropped the gloves before Kulikov's altercation. Fantasy owners may have liked the unexpected 15 penalty minutes Kulikov received, but they'd probably rather see him stay in the game and try to produce offensively.

Dmitry Kulikov's surgically repaired shoulder feels 100 percent going into the year. "It's been great. My shoulder is 100 percent. I've been able to give some hits and take some hits," said Kulikov. "Everything seems to be working properly. There hasn't been any discomfort." He also feels better prepared for the upcoming season, which should help get back on track from last year's disappointing performance.

Dmitry Kulikov has been skating for about six weeks, but he still needs to be cleared for action. He could get the green light as soon as today with training camp set to begin Thursday. "I honestly can't wait. This has been a long summer and I have worked myself into great shape," said Kulikov, who had shoulder surgery after missing the last three games of the 2013 season. "I'm excited for training camp to start, for the games to start. I'm seeing the doctor [Wednesday] and we'll see. I feel good but we'll see where I'm at."

Dmitry Kulikov had surgery on his right shoulder recently. He missed the last three games of the regular season with what was originally classified as an "upper-body injury." Kulikov didn't take the next step in his development this year, while posting three goals and 10 points in 34 appearances. However, he still has the potential to be a solid offensive contributor from Florida's back end.

Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen believes that Dmitry Kulikov won't play during the final week of the 2013 season. The defenseman was injured after being tangled up with Boston Bruins winger Jaromir Jagr during the Boston Bruins' 3-0 win against the Panthers on Sunday. Initial reactions indicated that it's probably an arm injury.