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It was a fun and festive atmosphere at loanDepot park in Miami for the 2026 Winter Classic between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers.

The vibes were immaculate, and the players and fans all seemed to be enjoying themselves leading up to the big game.

Unfortunately for the home fans, the game didn’t go very well for the Panthers as they were taken down by the Rangers 5-1.

While much of the attention and conversation afterwards was about the event itself, there were some elements of the game that needed to be addressed.

Let’s get to our Winter Classic takeaways:

UNDERLYING STATS LEANED PANTHERS

From shots to shot attempts to puck possession to opportunities from the slot, Florida did more than enough correctly on Friday to come away with two points.

But the amount of times they either missed the net, turned the puck over or failed to convert a rebound or rush into a high danger chance cost them dearly.

Even though Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin finished the game with 36 saves, only seven of those shots were considered high danger.

Florida’s expected goals for the game was 3.86, so it’s not like they weren’t generating scoring chances, but the quality has got to be better.

“We had 50 pucks that never got to the net,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “We got 30 blocked and we missed the net 20 times. I think we were just squeezing and pushing to come from behind, a little late getting the puck off our stick.”

FINDING POSITIVES

Between the unorthodox conditions, the Winter Classic ice, the distance they had to travel to get from place to place in their gear, the longer pregame and intermissions…there were several elements of Friday night that made things a bit more challenging for both teams.

The task now for Maurice and his staff will be dissecting the positive things Florida did against the Rangers and highlighting the areas they need to be better.

There isn’t much time to dwell though, as the Cats are right back at it on Sunday afternoon when they face the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche.

“There's a couple things I'll take out of this game that I like to show, and I won't share that with you…It's kind of part of our technical package,” said Maurice. “There were a couple things I thought we were a little late on, and then some good things we just didn't connect on. I don’t want us to lose our focus with that. We had 21 shot attempts from the slot, that would be our biggest number this year. So there's some things I didn't like, and then the rest of it will be Colorado, because they handled us was pretty well the last time they played us.”

AN AMAZING EVENT

At the end of the day, despite the final score, the Winter Classic in Miami was a resounding success.

The week of festivities and events at the ballpark for the players, coaches and staff members created memories that will last a lifetime for many of those who were fortunate enough to participate.

Even though many of the players and coaches had previously participated an NHL outdoor game, the sights, sounds and overall experience of hosting something like this in South Florida is something incredibly unique that will not soon be forgotten.

“I feel a real sense of gratitude to the National Hockey League,” said Maurice. “This was an incredible event. I can't believe how many people worked on this thing, and then they got it all right, for me anyway. This is the losing coach, right? So, incredible memories. I've been to Europe three times with the Global Series and this is my third outdoor game. We had a pretty good run here over the last three years in the playoffs, so I've got to see some pretty exciting nights in the National Hockey League, and I'm just grateful to be a part of it.”

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Panthers set to host Rangers for 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot park looking to resume recent winning ways

Photo caption: Jan 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; The Florida Panthers play against the New York Rangers during the first period in the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game at loanDepot Park. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off their best win since Connor Bedard’s injury. They have been playing better since the holiday break ended, but this defeat over Dallas was a game to be truly proud of. Now, they are on the road for a match against the Washington Capitals. 

This is the first meeting for Chicago against Washington, who comes in with a record of 21-15-5 and 47 points. They have had a solid year, but so has every team in the Eastern Conference up to this point. 

Scouting Washington

The Washington Capitals, even after all of these years, have a ton of talent. Everything starts and ends with Alexander Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in NHL history last season. Now, at the age of 40, Ovechkin has 15 goals this season and 912 in his career. Ovechkin tied the record with two goals last time the Blackhawks were in town. 

Protas-Strome-Ovechkin    

McMichael-Sourdif-Wilson     

Beauvillier-Dowd-Leonard     

Duhaime-Lapierre-Frank        

Sandin-Carlson     

Chychrun-Roy     

Fehervary- van Riemsdyk  

Thompson

The Capitals have some good young players and other great veterans besides Ovechkin. For one, Tom Wilson has developed into one of the best power forwards in the NHL. He is no longer the guy running around creating controversy with big hits. He still has an incredible physical presence to his game, but he doesn’t toe the line as much and is an elite offense producer. So much so that he was named to Team Canada for the Olympics.

A young player to watch out for is Ryan Leonard. The Team USA World Juniors hero (back-to-back Golds in 2023-24/2024-25) is still learning his way in the NHL, but he has star potential. 

On the back end, John Carlson has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL for years. As an aging player, he isn’t the producer that he once was, but he’s still someone to game plan for. So is the excellent Jakob Chychrun, who has 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 41 games. 

Logan Thompson will start in goal for Washington. Like Tom Wilson, Thompson will be an Olympian with Canada in Milan, Italy. He has become an outstanding goaltender in this league. To beat him, the Blackhawks will have an interesting time. It can be done, but all of the little things need to happen, like traffic in front, good shot selection, and being hard on the forecheck. 

Washington is a flawed team, but they are heavy and skilled, so win or lose, they are hard to play against. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks are coming in feeling good about their games. Now, they have a chance to take that momentum and use it in a situation that's been tough for them this season: back-to-back situations. 

Spencer Knight will start in goal for Chicago, meaning that they will likely use Arvid Soderblom against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. 

Bertuzzi-Greene-Burakovsky 

Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev

Teravainen-Moore-Lardis

Dach-Foligno-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

Knight

Why change a winning lineup? This exact lineup beat the Dallas Stars at the United Center on Thursday night. 

Keep an eye on two young centers in this game. Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore have started to take their games to another level with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar out of the lineup. For Moore, the points have started to come. Greene is still working on his finish, but he looks like a guy who belongs in the top nine of a winning group. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6:00 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

ELMONT, NY -- Former New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick and captain John Tavares spoke with us following Toronto Maple Leafs morning skate ahead of their Saturday night showdown at UBS Arena. 

What does he think of Islanders' 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer?

“He’s obviously a stud," Tavares said. "I mean, the way he can play the game has been really special. I think the way he's come in, and he’s just been a game changer throughout the league and obviously for the Islanders. He seems to have tremendous character and a great head on his shoulders. Obviously, his ability to play the game is special, like I said. So we'll have our hands full tonight, even though he’s someone who's only half a season into his career. He’s been really, really impressive.”

Tavares was selected first overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft, going on to play nine seasons (2009-18), he recorded 621 points (272 goals, 349 assists) in 669 games. He was the Islanders' captain from 2013-18.

What does he remember about his rookie season?

"Obviously, coming to the Islanders as a No. 1 pick and him as well, it's easy to kind of relate that," Tavares said. "But I think for me, throughout the course of my career, you always think about the journey and where things started, and how you got there, and where you're at today. You think about it all the time, just the excitement, all the work to get drafted, to earn an opportunity in the NHL, have the expectations that I had, and just how much fun it is to go through the first time, and certainly the ups and downs. There were a lot of them for me throughout my first year. So, it's something I'm very grateful for, very fond of, and I'll never forget. It's a big part of helping me along my way, throughout my career, and where I got started."

Saturday night is the first time the Islanders battle the Maple Leafs this season. 

What does Tavares think of this Islanders' squad?

"Well, certainly they've become a really dynamic team off the rush," Tavares said. "Obviously, with Schaefer and Barzy, their skating ability, their puck play is, is elite. So, you really need to defend that really well. And  like most teams, you try to make them use their energy to have to defend and work to get the puck back. And then that means you have in your hands, and you're able to maintain play and wear the opponent down. But no doubt, two very dynamic players with obviously, a lot of depth, a lot of guys that can make plays, put the puck in the back of the net."

Tavares has never met Schaefer. 

Puck drop comes your way ar 7:30 PM ET. 

Barkey scores first career goal as Flyers start fast and close out Oilers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers impressively nailed down a third-period lead Saturday afternoon to beat the high-powered Oilers, 5-2, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

Denver Barkey, Travis Sanheim, Bobby Brink, Nick Seeler and Owen Tippett all found the back of the net for the Flyers.

Seeler’s marker was his first of the season and it provided some critical third-period insurance.

Tippett sealed the win with an empty-netter.

For Barkey, his goal was the first of his NHL career and it started an early ambush by the Flyers (21-12-7).

Rick Tocchet’s club has dropped consecutive games in regulation only once (Nov. 1-2). It bounced back from a flat performance on New Year’s Eve, when it was rolled by the Flames, 5-1.

The Flyers split their two-game regular-season series with the Oilers (20-16-6). They suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Edmonton in November at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

• Dan Vladar set a new career high in wins with his 15th.

The 28-year-old denied 22 of 24 shots and played very well with a lead.

Connor McDavid started the Oilers’ comeback attempt on a breakaway goal with 3:52 minutes left in the first period. Sanheim had a turnover just inside the offensive blue line to spring McDavid the other way.

McDavid also had an assist on Edmonton’s second goal.

The three-time MVP has done serious damage to the Flyers whenever they visit. In 10 career home games against the Flyers, McDavid has put up 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists). The Flyers are 3-6-1 in those matchups and had plenty of offense Saturday afternoon to combat him.

The Oilers trimmed the Flyers’ lead to 3-2 halfway through the game with an Evan Bouchard power play goal. Matvei Michkov was hit with a high-sticking penalty and Edmonton capitalized 1:07 minutes later.

But the Flyers had an excellent third period.

• The goals from Barkey, Sanheim and Brink came in the first period as the Flyers stormed out to a 3-0 lead.

Prior to the outburst, the Flyers had just two first-period goals over their previous six games.

The Flyers really needed a strong start and got one.

Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard gave up those three first-period goals on nine shots. He finished with 24 saves on 28 shots.

• Emil Andrae was back in the lineup after a surprising healthy scratch Wednesday night.

The 23-year-old defenseman played in place of Noah Juulsen and had a plus-1 rating through 15:52 minutes.

Garnet Hathaway also returned to the lineup after sitting for six straight games. The veteran winger came back in for Nikita Grebenkin and played an active game. He fought Darnell Nurse in the first period and had six hits on the day.

• The Flyers return home for a matchup Tuesday against Cutter Gauthier and the Ducks (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Toronto Maple Leafs are making one lineup change ahead of their Saturday-night matchup against the New York Islanders.

Philippe Myers, who played a season-low 8:41 in Toronto's 6-5 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, will come out of the lineup. Matt Benning will make his Maple Leafs debut.

Benning, along with a couple of draft picks, was acquired by Toronto from the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 31, 2024, in exchange for Timothy Liljegren. The veteran defenseman, who has over 450 NHL games under his belt, has been with the Marlies ever since.

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube opted for the change after Myers had been on the ice for three goals against the Jets. He also wants to see what Benning has, after the defenseman impressed him during training camp.

"He's a competitor and has good experience in the NHL. He's got close to 500 games in the league, so yeah, he'll go in for Myers tonight," said Berube on Saturday morning.

"He's a first-pass guy. Like I said, the experience helps a lot, and he moves well and competes... I thought that he really pushed for a spot in training camp."

The 31-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 16 games with the Toronto Marlies this season.

"I think my confidence is still there," Benning said on Saturday morning, when asked if he thought he'd ever get this opportunity with the Maple Leafs.

"Playing a lot of minutes (in the AHL) and that's fun. Obviously, I want to be here, but can't really look in terms of what ifs. I've been around here for a while, with this organization and the NHL. If you keep playing that game, it's not good for you mentally, so for me, just one foot in front of the other.

"Work hard, be a good teammate."

With Benning entering the fold and Myers exiting the lineup, Berube played around with the defense pairings. Troy Stecher will play alongside Morgan Rielly; Jake McCabe will be paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson; Simon Benoit will line up with Benning.

#Leafs lines during morning skate Jan. 3/26

McMann-Matthews-Domi
Maccelli-Tavares-Knies
Cowan-Roy-Robertson
Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok
Extra: Quillan

Rielly-Stecher
McCabe-OEL
Benoit-Benning
Extra: Myers, Carlo

Woll
Hildeby pic.twitter.com/IxYZTnb5PT

— David Alter (@dalter) January 3, 2026

It'll be interesting to see how Stecher plays alongside Rielly after having a big game against the Jets, which included a goal and a team-high 24:53 of ice time.

"I think (Stecher is) a good fit no matter what," added Berube in Long Island.

"His game doesn't change, what he's going to do out there, and I think that's important, that he can jump in there and play a different role almost, because his game's not going to change. He's simple, competes, skates, works, makes the first pass.

"And with Morgan, he can do his thing and get up the ice. Stech likes to get going too, up the ice, so we can't have both of them going up at the same time, so there's got to be some communication there."

‘I Was Pretty Disappointed’: Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Reacts To Being Left Off USA Hockey’s 2026 Olympic RosterMatthew Knies opens up about the "hard decision" that left him off the Olympic squad and why he’s refusing to let the snub distract from his breakout year with the Leafs.

Joseph Woll is set to get his 15th start of the season despite being pulled against the Jets after allowing four goals on 17 shots. Dennis Hildeby came in for relief and stopped 22 of 23 shots for the rest of the game.

Berube said in New York that the plan all along was for Woll to play against the Islanders.

The 27-year-old goaltender has an 8-4-1 record and a .916 save percentage with the Maple Leafs through 14 games this season.

A former Vancouver Canucks defenceman is getting another shot in the NHL. On Saturday, Cole McWard is projected to make his New York debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs. McWard has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders. 

McWard signed with the Canucks at the end of the 2023-24 season after a successful NCAA career. The 24-year-old played six games with Vancouver, recording one goal and five hits. Over the last two seasons, McWard has spent his time with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he played 124 games.

As for memorable moments, McWard was part of Abbotsford's Calder Cup championship. During the 2025 playoffs, he recorded a goal and an assist in 12 games. Once the season was over, McWard signed a one-year contract with the Islanders that carries an AAV of $775,000.

McWard has found success in his first season with Bridgeport. In 67 games, he has six goals and 26 points. The AHL Islanders have a 12-15-2-1 record and sit seventh in the Atlantic Division. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.