This year's NHL Winter Classic features two playoff-hungry teams – the host Florida Panthers and New York Rangers – which have a lot on the line.
On 16 occasions, the NHL Winter Classic has provided a picturesque event that never fails to make an impact in the market hosting the game.
However, there's no guarantee that the teams playing in the Winter Classic will be as competitive as the league and general hockey fans would like.
For instance, last season, the two teams that played in the Winter Classic – the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks – had a combined record of 29-40-6 heading into last year's outdoor game. So while there's always going to be an allure and a romanticism about the Winter Classic, sometimes the result is secondary to the event itself.
But the 2026 Winter Classic, which will be played on Friday at 8 p.m. ET at Miami's loanDepot Park, will not have that problem.
The two teams – the host Florida Panthers and the visiting New York Rangers – are currently in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Now, the Rangers and Panthers are not currently in a playoff position in the East. Ahead of the bulk of the action on New Year's Day, the Rangers sit 14th in the East with a 19-18-5 record and 43 points, while the Panthers are in ninth with a 21-15-3 mark and 45 points.
The Panthers do have three games in hand on the Rangers, but the Blueshirts have one of the NHL's best road records at 14-8-2, while Florida's home record is the third-best in the East at 13-8-3, so something has to give.
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While the Rangers will be playing in their sixth outdoor regular-season game, Friday's Winter Classic will be the Panthers' first-ever outdoor game appearance. And if we're judging by last year's record between the two teams, Florida has the advantage, as it went 2-1-0 against the Blueshirts in 2024-25.
The Panthers are one point behind the Buffalo Sabres for the second wild-card berth in the East, while the Rangers are three points behind the Sabres. And Florida is three points behind the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division, while the Rangers are four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Thus, the Winter Classic has a lot on the line for the Panthers and Rangers. The stakes are high in this year's Winter Classic, and for that, we should be thanking the hockey gods.
By the time the season is over, the Panthers and Rangers could look back at this outdoor game and see it as the difference between making or missing the playoffs. So for those arguing games this early in the season don't have as much of an impact on the standings as matchups in March and April, don't think for a second this game doesn't matter.
Whether you're a Panthers or Rangers fan, or a fan of good hockey in general, you'll want to tune in Friday and see how this Winter Classic shakes out.
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