MIAMI (AP) — Have a day, Mika Zibanejad.

He made Sweden’s Olympic team, had a hat trick and put together the first five-point NHL outdoor game in history, all in the span of a few hours, to help the New York Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the Winter Classic — the first outdoor game played in the Sunshine State.

Artemi Panarin scored twice, Alexis Lafrenière had three assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots for the Rangers, who improved to 6-0-0 when playing outdoors.

“I think it’s hard to grasp the whole day,” Zibanejad said. “But yeah, a great 12, 16 hours. It’s been a fun day.”

Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which was playing outdoors for the first time and lost for the fourth time in its last six contests overall. The Panthers gave up goals to Zibanejad and Panarin 64 seconds apart late in the first period, giving New York a 2-0 lead, and the Rangers kept control the rest of the way.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the NHL deserved enormous credit for pulling off an event he called “spectacular.”

“A Southern setting (and) the ice was fine,” Maurice said. “The spectacle was incredible. It was just brilliant, the entire kind of weekend. … I would imagine the Rangers really loved it. But for the losing coach, it was an incredible memory.”

Florida outshot New York 37-20 and had 38 hits to New York’s 20, but watched the Rangers block of its 27 shot attempts.

The star of the night was Zibanejad, who reached five points in a game for the fourth time.

“He’s one of our core players,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “We rely on him in so many circumstances out there on both sides of the puck.”

Zibanejad’s third goal was an empty-netter with 1:28 left. Rangers fans tried throwing hats to no avail; the seats were too far from the ice for any of them to get even close to the playing surface.

“We have amazing support wherever we go,” Zibanejad said.

The roof was open, as were the huge window panels behind what typically is left field at loanDepot Park — home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. There was some snow falling from the edges of the stadium, there were blasts of fire and after years of planning, there was hockey on a baseball field.

“Awesome experience,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “Really happy I was able to able to experience something like this. Would have loved to get the win, but at the end of the day, a true first-class experience.”

Did it work? Outdoor ice typically doesn’t hold up with temperatures in the 60s, and there were some player complaints that the surface wasn’t conducive to speedy play. But it worked well enough for the Rangers, who were 4-6-3 in their last 13 games coming into Friday.

“These events are a lot more fun and a lot more memorable when you win,” Zibanejad said.

The temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) at game time was the second-warmest of any of the NHL’s 44 outdoor games that have counted in the standings. It was 2 degrees cooler than on Feb. 27, 2016, when Detroit beat Colorado at Denver’s Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.

The Rangers — with a snow effect around their walkway — were called to the ice at 8:13 p.m. The Panthers — as fire shot skyward along their path — came out about a minute later. And that’s about when snowflakes began falling from the top of the stadium, as the roof continued opening.

There was another celebration before faceoff, when Rangers and Panthers players who will be part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team at the Milan Cortina Games next month were introduced. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones made the team earlier Friday, as did injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.

Tkachuk placed an American flag over Jones’ shoulders and the crowd roared.

It was a spectacle, as expected. The Rangers showed up in all-white outfits, as if it was a beach day. The Panthers came with a “Miami Vice” theme, wearing white suits, pastel shirts and even showing up in Ferraris instead of a bus.

“If you would have asked me 25 years ago … this might be the last place that I thought it would take place,” Sullivan said. “So, I just think it speaks volumes for technology and its advancements and the ability to put a sheet of ice down in this type of environment.”

Up next

Rangers: Host Utah on Monday.

Panthers: Host Colorado on Sunday.

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And they were armed with paintbrushes, not hockey sticks.

The Panthers — a few hours before their Winter Classic outdoor game at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark against the New York Rangers — unveiled a couple dozen panther sculptures, all painted in a unique way and now being auctioned off with hopes of raising $1 million for cancer research.

Gretzky commissioned a sculpture that displays some of his stats, Johnson arranged one depicting a scene from Augusta National, Bublé’s is adorned in rhinestone braille, the NBA’s Heat commissioned a pair of sculptures with some of the team’s themes, artist Romero Britto painted one as well and Navratilova didn’t technically paint hers — she dipped tennis balls into paint and then served them into the panther, creating a polka-dotted splash of various colors.

“To be able to have the privilege to reach out and make those contacts and have those folks say, ‘Of course,’ what a gift that was,” Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. “It’s just so neat.”

About $700,000 has been raised already, Zito said. The idea for the fundraiser — “Panthers on the Prowl,” they call it — is loosely built around Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” art project. Zito and his wife Julie co-chair the Panthers’ project; she is a breast cancer survivor, and Zito has lost a number of relatives to the disease.

“It was my wife Julie’s idea,” Zito said. “And we lived in Chicago during ‘Cows on Parade,’ and then Romero Britto said we should auction them. I can’t take credit for any of it.”

Many of the panthers were on display at LoanDepot Park on Friday, where about 35,000 fans attending the Winter Classic would see them.

“There’s a tear and a smile,” Zito said. “And then you think, you know what, there’s a reason that everybody is engaged. There’s a reason that everybody gave their time and their talent. And it’s because it works and it’s right.”

Barkov did not participate in Thursday’s Panthers practice, but he did skate before practice, with getting on the ice representing another step toward his return.

The Milano Cortina Olympics begin Feb. 6, 2026.

The Panthers are well-represented on Finland’s team, even without Barkov.  Niko Mikkola, Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell all made the cut.

When USA Hockey announced its Olympic roster on Friday, Panthers defenseman Seth Jones was on the list, joining forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was named to the preliminary roster in June 2025.  Panthers general manager Bill Zito was named as assistant general manager for the team, and Panthers head equipment manager Teddy Richards will serve as equipment manager.

Other Panthers who will be playing for their countries are Uvis Balinskis (Latvia), Sam Reinhart (Canada) and Brad Marchand (Canada).

Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the Panthers and also played on Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team, was not on Canada’s roster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

“Actually, it’s kind of nice,” Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said.

It’ll be in the 50s for Friday night’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot Park. The only way for a native South Floridian to sit comfortably in that for three hours is with a blowtorch.

“It’s hockey weather for us,’’ said the Finnish Forsling.

Yes, they didn’t just bring winter’s game to be played in a fun and festive atmosphere Friday night. They brought winter, too, at least as we Nanooks of South Florida define it.

There’s even “snow” in the forecast at the game, though the NHL isn’t saying how they’re pulling that off. But this regular NHL event has become so popular around the league in actual cold-weather cities the league brought it to this battleground of their sport and our subtropics.

The Miami Marlins’ stadium has been transformed with beach chairs and sand symbolizing South Florida in left field and snow and ice depicting the Rangers’ climes in right field. Some entertainers will wear beach clothes. Others, parkas.

There, where the infield typically sits, is a regulation ice rink that passed the most important test of all during the Panthers’ practice Thursday afternoon.

“The ice is fantastic,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Wait until he gets the electric bill.

You’ve heard of the Miracle on Ice? This is the Miracle of Ice. Getting it right is part of the charming challenge of playing the Winter Classic with the stadium’s roof open, so the game is outside.

The concept of this regular game around the league is to re-create the outdoor atmosphere these players and coaches grew up on. This is Maurice’s third Winter Classic and he’s enthralled with the idea.

“Maybe it’s just the fact that they’re going to open the roof, and you’re actually on an outdoor rink — ODR, in Canada,’’ he said. “That’s how these guys started, the ones from the north anyway.

“So, there’s a certain amount of feeling that in these games that’s not in the regular season grind and snarl.”

Playing in the snow some years back with Carolina is a moment frozen in time for him. Of course, some youthful memories of outdoor play are left behind. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky grew up in Siberia and remembers playing in minus-22 degrees.

“We were literally freezing,’’ he said. “We lost 10-0. The next day it was like (23 degrees) and we won 10-0.”

With consecutive Stanley Cups, all of South Florida is past the point of wondering when they talk about ice if they mean one cube or two.

It’s not past the point wondering what it’s like to sit outside in mid-50s weather as forecast. That’d be a balmy January night in Boston.

In South Florida, people will dress like they’re robbing a 7-Eleven in Manitoba. Parka. Scarf. Long johns. Winter hat. Fleece-lined boots. Thick mittens.

“It’ll be cool,’’ Panthers veteran Brad Marchand said.

He didn’t mean cool as in cold but as in wonderful. His two previous Winter Classics showed how special the atmosphere could be.

“One of my favorite parts about these games is the walkout,’’ he said. “When you’re walking out to the rink, and you get to take all that in and get to see the scenery. Hopefully, we’ll see the city in the background.”

Once the puck drops, he said, it’s another game for the players. It’s an important game for both teams trying to keep a foothold in their season.

The Panthers showed what’s coming as injured Matthew Tkachuk skated in practice Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey and captain Aleksander Barkov skated lightly before practice.

Their appearance in the season is ahead. Friday is here with this fun and ambitious turning of the subtropics into a Winter Wonderland. You could see at Thursday’s practice how the players enjoy a quirky change to their season.

Now comes Friday’s outdoor game that will really feel outdoors.

Then, when it’s over, let’s hope the heat gets turned back on.

Just don’t go too far with what that might mean for this immediate Panthers stretch.

Barkov, who has missed all season with a knee injury, skated a little before the practice in pants and the Panthers’ Winter Classic jersey. He had a brace on his right knee. He then was in the team picture on the ice at loanDepot park before sitting on the bench for practice. He’s months from playing again, but that’s not the idea here.

“He’s been working so hard just to get back to the ice,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “And it’s amazing how quickly he’s on the ice now.”

Tkachuk also has missed all season with a torn abductor muscle and sports hernia. He quickly changed out the Winter Classic uniform after the team picture for a yellow jersey worn by players who could have no contact. He began practicing in the yellow jersey on Sunday with the idea he’s close to joining the team.

“Everyone knows where he’s at, but he won’t play (Friday),” coach Paul Maurice said.

Jonah Gadjovich, who is out for months injured, watched Thursday’s practice. He and defenseman Dmitri Kulikov are expected back at some point after the Winter Olympics break in February.

“We got one of the best push-up teams in the league,” Maurice said. “I know because every day I talk out of the coach’s office before a game and I get all these guys doing pushups. Man, we got to get them back to the hockey team. We need to get them out of the gym.

“It’s just nice for the players to see — I mean, Matthew is moving up there. That’s a big boost to us. In practice, there’s way more chirping, way more talking. To see him being on the ice … it’s just normal. And it’s like Sunday walk. He’s just moving around the ice, but it’s nice for him to be a part of it.”

The Panthers play the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic on Friday night. After a game against Colorado on Sunday in Sunrise, they head onto the road for six games.

It’s the same ice where the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers will meet on Friday in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic, the league’s famed annual outdoor games.

The game is more associated with snowy locations in historic hockey strongholds like Toronto and Chicago than our beach-friendly winter, but with Broward’s Florida Panthers as the current two-time champions, South Florida became impossible to ignore.

The league is turning to two men, Derek King and Andrew Higgins of the league’s facility and hockey operations team, to defeat the oxymoron that is outdoor hockey in South Florida.

“ I think it’s a pretty bold move by the league. Why not Florida? Florida is an amazing hockey market. So for us to bring the game here, I think it’s pretty exciting,” said King.

“ For us and our crew, it’s just a new challenge. We’ve been in warmer markets before, but really nothing as south or as warm as this.” said Higgins.

The ice is just part of the massive production planned for Friday night’s game. LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, has been completely transformed. The field has been split into two halves, one sunny and the other snowy to highlight the clash between South Florida’s warm weather and the sport’s cold weather origins.

“ Half the field is gonna be Miami Beach, lifeguard stands, umbrellas, cabanas and swimming pools, and the other side is as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami … We’re gonna have cast members on the field. Half of them will be in parkas, the other will be in bikinis and speedos,” said Steve Mayer, president of NHL events and content.

Mayer hinted at a few other surprises for the fans on game day, especially those on the icy side.

“You may get snowed on…  we like to make it an interactive experience from the time you walk in the building to the time you leave,” he said.

Getting the ice ready

But none of the fanfare can happen without the ice in peak condition.

Two weeks before the puck drops, the rink build begins. King and Higgins’s team marks out the space, stretching end to end across the infield, and lays down a laser-leveled stage deck. Then the crew brings in 253 aluminum pans to cover the surface. Those pans are connected to two truck trailers in centerfield that pump glycol, which removes heat from water, through the pans. About a week before the game, water is misted on top of the pans, allowing it to freeze in layers.

The process is helped by LoanDepot Park’s retractable roof, which allows the team building the rink more control over the conditions before the game. But the plan is to play with the roof and the sliding floor-to-ceiling windows in left field open, which puts the ice at the mercy of the elements.

“ Once you open the roof, all bets are off. I’m looking at the weather just like everybody else,” said Mayer.

There is a difference between ice and professional grade ice — any bumps, bobbles, or soft spots on Friday could ruin the whole affair — but the team can monitor the ice and adjust the coolant coming from the truck trailers on the fly. They’ve also created a sheet that’s between two and two and a half inches — an inch thicker than the ice at Amerant Bank Arena, where the Panthers play, to give themselves more of a buffer.

And to make things even better, there’s a cold front due this week. Temperatures at puck drop could be in the mid to low 60s.

Up next for the NHL events team might be an even greater challenge. Next month, they’ll head to Tampa for the NHL Stadium Series where the Tampa Bay Lighting will play the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, where there is no roof.

This article was originally published by WLRN Public Media.

SUNRISE — Nick Suzuki got a power-play goal 3:24 into overtime, and the Montreal Canadiens rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to stun the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Suzuki also scored late in regulation to tie the game for the Canadiens, who improved to 6-1-3 in their last 10 games. Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal.

Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, but Marchand was called for roughing 1:27 into overtime — giving Montreal a 4-on-3 advantage.

The Panthers paid tribute to Marchand’s 1,000th career point in a pregame ceremony. Marchand got the milestone point in mid-November, but chose this game — against Montreal, one of his longtime rivals when he was with Boston and a team coached by one of his idols, Martin St. Louis — for the formal celebration.

The game was scoreless after two periods, just the 11th such game in the NHL this season and the first for both the Panthers and the Canadiens. And it was the first time a Florida-Montreal matchup saw no goals in the first 40 minutes of action since Feb. 14, 2013 — a contest that ended up as a 1-0 road win for the Canadiens.

But the final 10 minutes were wild.

Marchand opened the scoring at 10:18 and Reinhart connected with 4:59 left to put Florida up 2-0. Back came Montreal, with Caufield scoring 32 seconds after Reinhart’s goal and then Suzuki tying it up with 1:22 remaining.

It was the final game of 2025 for both teams. Montreal’s 21 wins going into New Year’s Day are its most since having 21 wins at this point during the 2018-19 season. And Florida — which has played in each of the last three Stanley Cup Finals, winning the last two titles — played its 106th game of the year, the third straight year in which the Panthers have topped 100 games.

Up next

Panthers: Host the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at Miami on Friday.

Pregame ceremony

Marchand’s first NHL point came just 26 seconds into the second period of his first game with the Boston Bruins. It seemed very easy, so easy that he was certain he’d be all over the scoresheets on a regular basis.

Oops. Nearly a full year passed before his second NHL point.

“After the first, I’m like, ‘Oh, this, it’s not too hard,’ ” Marchand said. “But I had a pretty rude awakening after that. You just see how hard it is every night to play in this league.”

He has never forgotten the lessons that came after that first point, what it was like to go scoreless in 21 consecutive games, how it felt to get sent down from Boston to the team’s minor league affiliate in nearby Providence. And they were still in mind Tuesday night, when the Panthers — who acquired him in a trade last season — paid tribute to Marchand joining the NHL’s 1,000-point club in a pregame ceremony before playing host to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Panthers let Marchand and his family choose when they wanted to have the ceremony, and this game was the pick. Flowers were presented to Marchand’s wife and mother, gold mini-sticks were presented to his three children. The NHL sent a Tiffany crystal to present to Marchand, and he got a commemorative gold stick and plaque from Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito as well.

Several NHL coaches and players sent video tributes as well, including many of his former Bruins teammates as well as Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby. “Super proud of you,” former Bruins teammate Zdeno Chara said.

Marchand watched the ceremony from a corner of the ice, surrounded by family.

“I have all my family in town,” Marchand said. “These are moments throughout your career that don’t happen often. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate things that I definitely never thought would ever become possible. … It’s a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy a very special thing.”

Getting to 1,000 points is a testament to plenty of things, his longevity included. The 37-year-old Marchand had 100 points in a season exactly once; he’s basically been just about a point-a-game guy for the entirety of his 17-year career.

The Capitals (20-14-5) have lost four of five.

Florida came back from a third-period deficit to pull out the win, getting goals from Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and Reinhart.

The Capitals led 3-2 early in the third on a goal by Dylan Strome, who also had two assists. But Marchand tied the score by batting in his own rebound past goalie Logan Thompson at 6:16 of the third, and Ekblad put Florida ahead for good about seven minutes later.

Reinhart added an empty-netter to seal matters for Florida.

Tom Wilson got both Washington goals in the opening period, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 3:53 and then tying the score at 2-2 with 43 seconds remaining on a power-play chance.

With the two goals, Wilson has four multigoal games this season — and his second multigoal period, the first of which came Nov. 19 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Between Wilson’s goals, the Panthers tied the score on Anton Lundell’s goal at 4:35 of the first, with Reinhart scoring his 20th of the season for a 2-1 lead at 12:45.

Wilson had a three-point night, getting the primary assist on Strome’s third-period goal. Strome assisted on Wilson’s two goals in the first.

After a scoreless second, the scoring picked up again in the third.

The game was Florida’s first since forward Matthew Tkachuk practiced for the first time this season, following offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia. Tkachuk practiced Sunday, but there is no timetable for his return to game action.

Up next

Panthers: Host Montreal on Tuesday.

MIAMI — It’s going to snow in Miami on Friday night.

The NHL — as part of the celebrations planned for the Winter Classic game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot Park, home of baseball’s Miami Marlins — is going to make snow fall at the ballpark.

How it’ll happen, well, the NHL is keeping some of the exact details surrounding the plan quiet. But some fans are going to get at least a few flakes headed their way.

“You may get snowed on,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president for events and content, said Monday in what essentially was a message to the more than 30,000 fans who are expected for the game. It’ll be the first time the NHL plays an outdoor game in Florida.

The rink is built, the ice is down — still being worked on, of course — and the ballpark feels about 20 degrees chillier than usual, which is by obvious design. The sets are still being built in some cases, but all will be ready when the teams come in for practices on Thursday.

“This is a show,” Mayer said. “There’s a hockey game that goes on, and that is so important. I mean, this is a big game. Panthers-Rangers, you know, when we’re in April, this could be a game that could determine whether a team makes the playoffs or not. But we also know that people are here for an experience, for something different, and we’re going to give it to them — and we’re going to have some fun along the way.”

Which brings us back to snow.

Officially, it hasn’t snowed in Miami since 1977. There were some unconfirmed reports of a few flakes in the air in South Florida in 2010, and the temperature on Friday means the snow won’t be courtesy of Mother Nature. Forecasters expect the temperature in the area of the retractable roof stadium to be in the upper 50s by game time for Panthers-Rangers.

But inside the stadium, with plans for the roof to be open for the game, it’ll be a scene for all seasons. The NHL — which was getting the logos and lines onto the ice Monday — is planning to have everything from beach chairs to a lifeguard shack and palm trees as part of the backdrop for the game, with some nods to winter as well.

Some entertainers will be in parkas, some in swim wear.

“We’ve designed it so that winter meets summer — or let’s go the opposite way, here in Florida, summer meets winter,” Mayer said. “Fire, ice, hot, cold, all of the thematics that you would think. So, half the field is going to be a Miami beach … and the other side is as if a huge snowstorm has hit Miami. That’s the dynamic that we’re going to have fun with throughout the game.”

FORT LAUDERDALE — The NHL fined Florida’s Anton Lundell and Tampa Bay’s Scott Sabourin for their actions in the game between the Panthers and Lightning on Saturday night, one where the teams combined for the highest penalty total the league has seen since 2011.

Lundell was fined $5,000 for high-sticking Tampa Bay forward Jake Guentzel late in the second period. Sabourin was fined $2,018.23 for slashing Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola early in the third period.

Both fines were the maximum allowed by terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The money goes to the league’s emergency assistance fund for players.

The teams combined to commit 45 penalties — 26 by Tampa Bay, 19 by Florida. No NHL regular season game has had more penalties called since the New York Islanders (34) and Pittsburgh (31) combined for 65 penalties on Feb. 11, 2011.

Tampa Bay’s 26 penalties were a franchise regular season record. Florida’s 19 penalties tied the fourth-most in club history for a regular season contest. The teams combined for 136 penalty minutes, second-most in the NHL this season; Edmonton and Calgary racked up a combined 154 on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay won the game, 4-2.

“Rivalry games, they’re intense hockey,” Guentzel said after the game.

Sabourin lost money for the second time this season following a Lightning-Panthers game. He forfeited $16,145.84 in salary by getting suspended four games for his role in a preseason penalty-fest between the clubs in October, one where the sides committed 65 penalties — 36 by Tampa Bay, 29 by Florida — and racked up 322 penalty minutes.