Rangers Vs. Panthers Winter Classic Preview, Projected Lineups, Notable Storylines

The New York Rangers are set to play the Florida Panthers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic tonight at 8:00 PM EST at LoanDepot Park. 

Here’s all you need to know ahead of this matchup: 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Artemi Panarin - Mika Zibanejad -  Will Cuylle

Gabe Perreault - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafrenière

Conor Sheary - Justin Dowling - Taylor Raddysh

Brett Berard - Sam Carrick - Matt Rempe

Defensemen:

Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox

Braden Schneider - Will Borgen

Carson Soucy - Matthew Robertson

Goaltenders: 

Igor Shesterkin 

Jonathan Quick

Notable Storylines: 

• Igor Shesterkin is set to start for the Rangers. 
• The Rangers are coming off of a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. 
• The Rangers are set to play in the first ever outdoor game in Florida.
• Noah Laba is week-to-week with an upper-body injury and Conor Sheary was placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. 
• The Rangers recalled Brett Berard, Anton Blidh and Justin Dowling from the Hartford Wolf Pack. 
• The Panthers are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.