Mika Zibanejad scores first hat trick in Winter Classic history (1:16)Mika Zibanejad’s hat trick leads the Rangers to a 5-1 blowout win over the Panthers in the Winter Classic. (1:16)
He made Sweden’s Olympic team, had a hat trick and put together the first five-point NHL outdoor game in history, all in a few hours, to help the New York Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the Winter Classic — the first outdoor game played in the Sunshine State.
Artemi Panarin scored twice, Alexis Lafreniere had three assists, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots for the Rangers, who improved to 6-0-0 when playing outdoors.
“I think it’s hard to grasp the whole day,” Zibanejad said. “But yeah, a great 12, 16 hours. It’s been a fun day.”
Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which was playing outdoors for the first time and lost for the fourth time in its past six games. The Panthers gave up goals to Zibanejad and Panarin 64 seconds apart late in the first period, giving New York a 2-0 lead, and the Rangers kept control the rest of the way.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the NHL deserved enormous credit for pulling off an event he called “spectacular.”
“A Southern setting [and] the ice was fine,” Maurice said. “The spectacle was incredible. It was just brilliant, the entire kind of weekend. … I would imagine the Rangers really loved it. But for the losing coach, it was an incredible memory.”
“He’s one of our core players,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “We rely on him in so many circumstances out there on both sides of the puck.”
Zibanejad’s third goal was an empty-netter with 1:28 left. Rangers fans tried throwing hats to no avail; the seats were too far from the ice for any of them to get close to the playing surface.
“Awesome experience,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “Really happy I was able to experience something like this. Would have loved to get the win, but at the end of the day, a true first-class experience.”
Outdoor ice typically doesn’t hold up with temperatures in the 60s, and some players complained that the surface wasn’t conducive to speedy play. But it worked well enough for the Rangers, who were 4-6-3 in their past 13 games coming into Friday.
There was another celebration before faceoff, when Rangers and Panthers players who will be part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team at the Milan Cortina Games next month were introduced. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones made the team earlier Friday, as did injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
It was a spectacle, as expected. The Rangers showed up in all-white outfits, as if it were a beach day. The Panthers came with a “Miami Vice” theme, wearing white suits and pastel shirts and even showing up in Ferraris instead of a bus.
“If you would have asked me 25 years ago … this might be the last place that I thought it would take place,” Sullivan said. “So I just think it speaks volumes for technology and its advancements and the ability to put a sheet of ice down in this type of environment.”
Mika Zibanejad scores first hat trick in Winter Classic history (1:16)Mika Zibanejad’s hat trick leads the Rangers to a 5-1 blowout win over the Panthers in the Winter Classic. (1:16)
Mika Zibanejad’s hat trick leads the Rangers to a 5-1 blowout win over the Panthers in the Winter Classic. (1:16)
Florida outshot New York 37-20 and had 38 hits to New York’s 20.
The star of the night was Zibanejad, who reached five points in a game for the fourth time.
“We have amazing support wherever we go,” Zibanejad said.
“These events are a lot more fun and a lot more memorable when you win,” Zibanejad said.
Tkachuk placed an American flag over Jones’ shoulders, and the crowd roared.