Mika Zibanejads historic hat trick leads Rangers in impressive win over Panthers in Winter Classic
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.MIAMI — Even with a beach 3 ¹/₂ miles away, the Rangers remained undefeated outdoors.An unexpectedly dominant 5-1 win over the Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic on Friday night at loanDepot park improved the Blueshirts to 6-0-0 in outdoor games since they first competed in one 14 years ago.Successfully defending the franchise record the way they did was one thing.The Rangers’ unrelenting effort against the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in such a high-profile NHL event, however, was the real stepping stone in a season that hasn’t had many.“We talked about it, about a fresh start here,” said Mika Zibanejad, who spearheaded the win with three goals — for the first Winter Classic hat trick — and two assists.
“Got a couple days as a team, with families and friends and just enjoy this moment.I thought we did a good job with that and really focused when it came to game time.
We’re hoping this can be a start to something good for us.”With a victory in the third-warmest outdoor contest in NHL history at 61 degrees, the Rangers snapped a three-game losing skid.The Rangers showed the beachgoers how it’s done up north in the first outdoor game in Florida.Fending off five of the Panthers’ six power plays, the Rangers also blocked 27 shots through 60 minutes.They may have been limited to six shots on goal in each of the first two periods, but the Rangers consistently generated high-quality opportunities that they were able to capitalize on.The power play also scored two goals for just the fifth time this season.They got to stick it to the Panthers on national television.
They got to do it in front of a sold-out and split crowd of 36,153.Feel-good games aren’t always enough in a season like the one the Rangers are having.This was one the team should hang its hat on.
One that should fue...