Carter Verhaeghe (23) for the Florida Panthers scores against Jonathan Quick (32) of the New York Rangers in April 2025 (NHL.com)

The NHL will continue their Winter Classic tradition with their 17th entry in the series on January 2nd. The reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers faceoff against Original Six franchise New York Rangers in the Panthers first Winter Classic appearance. With the game being held in Miami, this will be the farthest south the marquee event has been played.

With this being an inter-conference matchup, and the Panthers holding 44 points in the standings and Rangers with 43, where the two points could be crucial to securing a playoff bid.

The Panthers got off to a slow start this season but have worked their way to the Eastern Conference’s 2nd wild card spot with a 21-15-2 record. It’s important to remember that the team is missing their captain Alexander Barkov and star forward Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk has however returned to practices with the Panthers, so a return for the Winter Classic is possible but uncertain.

The 37 year old winger, Brad Marchand has shown no signs of relenting this year. He leads the team in goals with goals (22), assists (22) and points (44). With the absence of Barkov and Tkachuk, Marchand’s ability to step up has been remarkable. He is pushing 40 and still proving himself capable of being a top-six forward. The Nova Scotia native will be a player to watch in this matchup.

The Panthers are averaging 3.21 goals a game this season while also allowing 3.13 goals a game. The Panther’s power play has been rather lackluster this year for the reigning cup champs with 18.5% efficiency, ranking 19th in the NHL. Last season they had a PP percentage of 23.5%. Florida’s penalty kill has been pretty solid this year however with 82.8% efficiency, ranking seventh.

Florida’s Vezina winning goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky is tied for first among goaltenders in wins this season. Bobrovsky is likely to get the start for the game against the Rangers.

The Rangers have been struggling recently, failing to make the playoffs last year and no guarantee of a playoff berth this year. The team has been great defensively ranking seventh lowest in goals allowed per game with 2.68 allowed per game. Their penalty kill is right down the middle being ranked 15th in the league with 80.5%.

The Rangers offense this season, however, has been a dud scoring 2.54 goals a game, 31st in the NHL and second to worst overall. They have been shutout an astounding eight times. Being good defensively objectively means nothing if you can’t get on the scoreboard.

Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in goals (14), assists (25), and points (39). He’s been a consistent offensive winger, falling one point shy of being a point-per game player.

Rangers goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, also a former Vezina trophy is 16th amongst goaltenders in save percentages with an impressive .910%. and is 17th lowest amongst goaltenders in GAA with 2.51. Both teams have elite goaltenders that will be facing off against each other.

The game will likely be a close one, and one to remember. You can watch the game on TNT, truTV, or HBO Max at 8 p.m. ET