The New York Rangers’ perfect record in outdoor games will be on the line Friday when they face the Florida Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic at Miami’s loanDepot Park.
The franchise is 5-0 outdoors, the most wins without a loss of any NHL team. Previously, the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park in the 2012 Winter Classic; the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders in the 2014 Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium; the visiting Buffalo Sabres in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field; and the Islanders again in the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium.
Friday’s game is different, as it will be the first outdoor game ever in the state of Florida. The game is set for an 8 p.m. start so that Miami’s famed sunshine won’t melt the carefully constructed ice.
When the gates open two hours prior to the start of the game, the roof will be closed at loanDepot Park. At some point — and organizers are not saying when — the roof will open.
It’s all part of the show, according to Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events.
“Half the field is going to be a Miami Beach (theme) with lifeguard stands, umbrellas and cabanas and swimming pools,” Mayer told reporters. “On the other side it’s as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami, and that’s the dynamic we’re going to have fun with throughout the game. We’re going to have cast members on the field — half of them will be in parkas and the others will be in bikinis and speedos.”
As for the hockey game itself, the Rangers are one of the better road teams in the league (14-8-2), partially offsetting their poor record at home (5-10-3).
New York’s other issue is on offense. The Rangers are the second-lowest scoring team in the league (2.55 per game).
But former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, now in his first year with the Rangers, isn’t worried.
“I don’t think it’s doom and gloom around here,” Sullivan said. “We know we have the capability of scoring goals, and we have.”
The Rangers have also been shut out eight times, which is the most in the NHL this season.
Another key factor for Friday’s game is the possible return of the Rangers’ injured forward J.T. Miller. The Rangers already got one star player back on Wednesday as defenseman Adam Fox played his first game since Nov. 29, scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 6-3 loss to Washington. Fox won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2021.
The Rangers, who have lost three straight games, could use Miller, who hasn’t played since Dec. 20 due to an upper-body injury. Miller, who had 37 goals and 103 points for Vancouver in 2023-2024, has 10 goals this season.
Meanwhile, the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers are also awaiting the imminent return of a star forward as Matthew Tkachuk is expected back at any moment.
This season, Tkachuk has yet to play due to a variety of injuries, but he has been practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey since Sunday.
“His hands haven’t changed,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Tkachuk after his return to practice. “But as much as we would like him to be a part of the spectacle (of the Winter Classic), the player and the doctors will make that decision.”
Tkachuk had 40-goal, 100-point seasons in 2021-22 for Calgary and 2022-23 for Florida. Over the past two years, he combined for 48 goals for the Panthers.
–Field Level Media
