The Florida Panthers dropped a game in the 2026 Winter Classic to the New York Rangers, 5-1. Despite the loss, Florida's players and coaches enjoyed the experience. It was the first time the Panthers ever played in an outdoor game, per NHL.com.
“This was an incredible event,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I can’t believe how many people worked on this, and they got it all right. This is the losing coach, right? So, incredible memories.”
The atmosphere at the Winter Classic was a bit strange for an outdoor hockey game. The temperature at face-off was a little more than 63 degrees Fahrenheit, in Miami. That made it the warmest Winter Classic in NHL history. The contest was also the second-warmest outdoor game ever played in the NHL, the outlet reported.
“Awesome event,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “Super well done. … I’m really happy I was able to experience something like this. I would have loved to get a win, but at the end of the day, a true first-class experience.”
Florida has now lost back-to-back games.
Panthers had a very rough outing in the Winter Classic
The weather might have been warm, but Florida's offense was ice-cold. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion mustered just one goal in the contest. That was scored in the third period, and it came from Sam Reinhart.
“Obviously, you would like a better result. It’s been a heck of few days but ultimately [we] would have liked a better game,” Reinhart said, per NHL.com. “From the get-go, I thought we might have pushed at times, but they went to the areas that made it difficult in front of our net and we made it easy in front of theirs. So, that seemed like the difference tonight.”
The Panthers also got some tough news when Seth Jones had to go to the locker room. Despite the rough performance, fans were still treated to quite a show. During stoppages in the Winter Classic, fans could watch a belly-flop contest into an inflatable pool.
“The ice was fine,” Maurice said. “The spectacle was incredible, the roof opening, the U.S. flag on the ice, the national anthem, all of it. It was just brilliant.”
Panthers fans hope the team performs better when they next play the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
