The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers will face off in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic live from LoanDepot Park on Friday night in front of what is expected to be a crowd of 35,000.
The Rangers will look to turn the page after a difficult year and make a statement in this high-profile matchup and move to 6-0 all-time in outdoor games in this matchup, including a spirited comeback win over the New York Islanders in their most recent outdoor game in overtime.
The Panthers, meanwhile, played to a record of 9-4-2 in the month of December, and the back-to-back champs now appear to be a safe bet to avoid a surprising playoff absence with Matthew Tkachuk set to return in the near future.
My best bet for Friday’s clash between the Rangers and Panthers is to play a regulation tie at +320 odds at bet365 (play to +310).
Rangers vs. Panthers regulation tie
Dating back to the start of December, seven of the Rangers’ 15 games played have gone to overtime. Given the strengths and weaknesses of head coach Mike Sullivan’s side, it’s not entirely surprising to see the team play in games requiring overtime at such a high rate.
The Rangers have undoubtedly taken steps forward from a defensive perspective this season under Sullivan, which has allowed goaltender Igor Shesterkin to achieve greater surface-level stats than we saw a season ago. Their strong defensive play and elite goaltending offers them avenues to hang around in any matchup, but due to their poor offensive play they have rarely won by a comfortable margin, and it’s hard to imagine New York ever blowing the Panthers out in this spot.
With a record of 19-18-5, the Rangers hold the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference entering Friday’s matchup (.512). The fact that they still technically have a record above NHL .500 is a good testament to just how many games have required overtime out East this season.
Both teams should be well prepared for this high-profile matchup, and it seems likely that we will see a tightly contested game featuring close scorelines throughout. Given the long price of +320, this seems to be a good spot to back into the trend of NHL games requiring overtime at a higher rate than the odds suggest this season.
Rangers vs. Panthers odds
| Rangers moneyline odds | +120 |
| Panthers moneyline odds | -140 |
| Puck Line odds | Rangers +1.5 (-220), Panthers -1.5 (+180) |
| Game total | Over 5.5 goals (-115), Under 5.5 goals (-105) |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Betting the Rangers
The Rangers enter this matchup looking to snap a three-game losing skid as they attempt to hang around in the Eastern Conference playoff race. As noted, they hold the lowest points percentage in the Eastern Conference but are also still only three points back of the Buffalo Sabres for the final playoff spot.
New York was able to tread water during Adam Fox’s 13-game absence, playing to a record of 6-5-2, which included six games that required overtime. Fox returned to the Rangers’ lineup in Wednesday’s matchup versus the Washington Capitals, tallying a goal and an assist during his 21:13 of ice time.
Fox has without question been the Rangers’ most impactful skater this season and brings a level of offensive upside that is lacking from the rest of the defensive core. New York’s blue line ranks 23rd in points per game this season, and the team scored only 2.38 goals per game during his absence.
The Rangers have allowed only 2.76 goals per game this season and have suppressed high-danger scoring chances much more effectively than they did last season under head coach Peter Laviolette. They have allowed only 2.49 xGA/60, which is the fourth-best mark in the NHL.
Igor Shesterkin has had an excellent start to the season with a +21.6 GSAx and .910 save percentage across 32 appearances and will get the start in this matchup.
Betting the Panthers
After playing late into June for a third straight year, it always seemed possible that the Panthers may struggle to match the urgency of other teams early on this season. Couple that with the gigantic loss of captain Aleksander Barkov, as well as Matthew Tkachuk, and it’s no surprise that the team has not been overly dominant thus far this season.
The Panthers caught fire in the month of December, though, playing to a record of 9-4-2. Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett all produced at a greater than point-per-game pace in that span, while Anton Lundell performed effectively at both ends of the ice as the team’s number-one centre.
While the results have been solid, the Panthers have played to an expected goal share of 49.02% over the last 10 games and are not necessarily blowing teams out of the water. On top of the losses of Barkov and Tkachuk, the team’s defensive core has been less effective than it was last season, as Jeff Petry has struggled mightily on the third pairing, while, as noted by head coach Paul Maurice, the absence of Dmitry Kulikov has been quietly significant.
Sergei Bobrovsky has also not been overly dominant in goal, playing to a save percentage of .888 and a GSAx rating of +4.8 across 27 appearances.
This high-profile matchup could suit the eye of Bennett, who’s put up 17 points over the last 15 games and was snubbed from the Canadian Olympic roster on Wednesday. Bennett will skate alongside Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Marchand on the Panthers’ second line, as well as the top power-play unit. He is priced at +175 to score at anytime, and -140 to record three or more shots on goal.
You can follow all of Nick’s hockey bets on the Action Network App!