Kulikov surprised the Devils' Corey Schneider with a shot from the faceoff circle for his first goal of the season Thursday, adding a plus-3 rating in a 5-1 victory.

EDGE Analysis

The tally gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead at the time and thus served as the game-winner. That makes it the first game-winning goal for Kulikov since April 7, 2013 -- that's a 183-game span. The Russian blueliner's offensive ability has long been touted, but since opening his career with some promise, including a respectable 28 points in 58 games in 2011-12, he's seen his productivity fall off. At just 25 years old, there's still time for Kulikov to find his way, and it's worth noting that he's seen a much-increased role since returning from a lower-body injury seven games ago. He skated 23:15 in Thursday's game, leading all Panthers.