Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov got away with a high stick to the face of Edmonton Oilers right winger Vasily Podkolzin during Tuesday night's Stanley Cup Final Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Podkolzin was skating around Kulikov towards the back of the net as Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was trying to clear the puck. Kulikov lifted his stick and "hooked" Podkolizin in the face. Seemed pretty obvious to us, but somehow the officials missed it. In an important game like this, how is that possible?
Kulikov caught Podkolzin with a high stick, but there was no call 🤐 pic.twitter.com/MCZUQXEfk1
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) June 18, 2025
Fortunately, Podkolzin was able to stay in the game, but high sticks to the face are painful to watch. Not sure if this is revenge for Sam Carrick spearing Kulikov in the groin in last year's Stanley Cup Finals, but there's no need for that.
As of this writing, with the Panthers leading 3-0, they appear well on their way to winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
