A Winter’s Classic

New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers

Rangers 5 – Panthers 1 (en) This game had nearly everything, the Classic’s first Hat Trick, power play goals, a disallowed goal, and a short-handed empty net goal, the only thing missing were the fans.

Can you imagine going to Florida where it does not snow to attend an outdoor ice hockey game where the fans pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars to sit in the front row seats that are literally 20 to 50 yards away from the playing surface?

Once the Rangers (C) Zibanejad completed his hat trick the announcer commented that if a fan could throw a hat onto to the ice celebrating the hat trick it would be a world’s record, this remark highlights how far away the fans were from the game.

The Rangers are undefeated (6-0) in Winter Classic games, have scored 5 goals in three of them and not only did Rangers (C) Zibanejad score the first hat trick of the Winter Classic games but he also earned a Winter Classic record 5 points.

The defending two-time Stanley Cup champion Panthers outshot the Rangers with an almost 2-1 advantage (37-20) but could only score during the third period on the power play with the goaltender pulled creating a 6 on 4 Florida man advantage.

The game’s outcome places both Florida & New York in a tie with Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference standings behind Buffalo for the second wild card seeding.