The New York Rangers secured a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami on January 2, marking the first outdoor NHL game in the Sunshine State. Mika Zibanejad led the way with a hat trick and five points, setting records for the event. The game drew a sellout crowd of 36,153 under unseasonably warm conditions.
The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic made history as the first outdoor game in Florida, hosted at the Miami Marlins' loanDepot Park with the retractable roof open and temperatures reaching 63.1 degrees Fahrenheit—the warmest in Winter Classic history. Pre-game festivities featured singer Luis Fonsi performing "Despacito" amid fake snow and pyrotechnics, while Hockey Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo dropped the ceremonial puck between Florida's Aaron Ekblad and New York's Vincent Trocheck.
The Rangers, entering without a playoff spot and tied for 20th in the standings, dominated from the start. Mika Zibanejad opened scoring on a power play at 15:09 of the first period, redirecting a pass from Alexis Lafrenière for a 1-0 lead. Just 64 seconds later, Artemi Panarin made it 2-0 with a wrist shot at 16:13, assisted by Zibanejad and Lafrenière. Zibanejad struck again at 0:58 of the second, one-timing Lafrenière's pass to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Florida's Seth Jones left early with an upper-body injury at 7:54 of the first after a high shot from Lafrenière, and coach Paul Maurice noted it "doesn’t look terrible right now." The Panthers responded in the third with Sam Reinhart's power-play goal at 2:20, but Panarin restored the three-goal lead on another power play at 12:25. Zibanejad sealed his hat trick with a shorthanded empty-netter at 18:32.
Zibanejad's three goals and two assists marked the first hat trick in Winter Classic history and a record five points in an outdoor game, earning him MVP honors as the first Swedish winner. "It’s hard to grasp the whole day like that," he said. "It was a great 12-16 hours." Panarin added two goals and an assist, tying the NHL record for career outdoor points at seven. Lafrenière contributed three assists, while Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves for New York, who improved to 6-0 in outdoor games. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 15 of 19 shots for Florida.
The Rangers went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed five of six penalties, with coach Mike Sullivan praising Zibanejad: "He’s the type of player that can will our group to win." Reinhart reflected on the loss: "Obviously, you would like a better result... that seemed like the difference tonight." This victory highlighted New York's prowess outdoors, where they now hold the most wins by any team.
