The Panthers will host the Rangers Friday night at loanDepot Park in Miami
The NHL's annual Winter Classic outdoor game will take place Friday night between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park, home of MLB's Miami Marlins.
The event will mark the league's first outdoor game in the state of Florida and despite the typical warm temperatures, the forecast is calling for low 60s at puck drop. The NHL plans to open the stadium's retractable roof when the game begins at 8 p.m. ET
Ahead of Friday night's puck drop, here are some fun numbers about the 2026 NHL Winter Classic.
1 - There will be one more NHL outdoor game this season with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Feb. 1.
2 - Points separating the Panthers and Rangers in the Eastern Conference standings. Florida owns a 21-15-3 record and are in fifth in the Atlantic Division, six points behind the division-leading Detroit Red Wings. New York (19-18-5) is eight points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams currently reside outside of playoff spots.
8 - Number of current Panthers and Rangers players who have scored a goal in an outdoor game. A.J. Greer, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Will Borgen, J.T. Miller, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad each have one career goal, while Vincent Trocheck has scored twice.
5 - Number of wins by the Rangers all-time in outdoor games. New York has yet to lose when playing outside having previous played at Citizens Bank Park, Yankee Stadium (twice), CitiField, and MetLife Stadium. No NHL team has more victories in outdoor games.
6 - Friday will be the Rangers' sixth regular-season outdoor game, tying the franchise with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The Chicago Blackhawks have played the most with seven.
8 - The Panthers are set to become the eighth reigning Stanley Cup champion to play in an outdoor game the following season. The Blackhawks are the only franchise to have done so twice.
14 - It's been a while since Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky last played outdoor. He in net for the 2012 Winter Classic against the Rangers while with the Flyers.
15 - Number of Panthers players who have played in at least one NHL outdoor game.
15 - Number of NHL regular-season outdoor games that have been played in baseball stadiums.
17 - Number of Rangers players who have played in at least one NHL outdoor game. Twelve current Rangers took part in the 2024 Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Islanders.
19 - Number of U.S. states to host a regular-season NHL outdoor game.
21 - Number of Florida-born NHL players in league history.
31 - Total number of NHL teams that have played in a regular-season outdoor game. The Utah Mammoth are the lone franchise yet to play outdoors.
65ºF/18ºC - The warmest outdoor game temperature, which was recorded during the 2016 Stadium Series at Coors Field between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings. Friday's current forecast calls for a temperature of 61°F/16°C.
350 - Number of gallons of paint used to whiten the ice at loanDepot Park.
10,000 - NHL's estimate of the number of hot dogs that will be eaten inside loanDepot Park on Friday night.
2,240,068 - Total number of fans who have attended the NHL's 44 outdoor games.
Category: General Sports
