The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers take it outside in sunny Miami for Friday's Winter Classic showdown.
The pregame narrative: The roof will be open at LoanDepot Park for tonight's matchup. With temperatures hovering around 17 degrees Celsius, I'm skeptical about the ice conditions for this matchup. With that in mind, I'll happily back the under and the underdogs in this contest.
Check out my Rangers vs. Panthers predictions for Jan. 2 below.
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Rangers vs. Panthers predictions
Best Bet: Under 5.5 goals (-107)
The pageantry of the NHL's Winter Classic is typically grandiose enough to mask the major underlying issue with almost all of them.
The ice conditions are usually pretty bad.
There is a large enough sample size now to dissect the impact of taking games outdoors, and the edge does not go to offences:
- 11 of 16 games had five goals or fewer.
- Eight of 16 games had four goals or fewer.
And perhaps the most important detail in terms of this pick is that none of those games were held in Florida.
-> Take the under at the Winter Classic here!
A 17-degree Celsius forecast for tonight's contest would undoubtedly be the warmest in the event's history.
The Rangers, meanwhile, already have enough issues scoring as it is. They rank 31st in goals per game (2.55), and have scored two or fewer in nine of their last 13 contests.
Florida isn't clicking on all offensive cylinders, either, ahead of this game. The Cats have scored two or fewer in three of their last five games.
With the potential for sloppy conditions and unimpressive offences, I'll happily back the under.
Key stat: New York has the highest unders percentage in the NHL (64.3%).
Who will win the Winter Classic?
Rangers moneyline (+133): If the conditions are sloppy, one would expect that to favour New York.
The Rangers aren't a high-powered offence, but bad ice could drag the Panthers to their level.
New York enters Friday riding a three-game losing streak, but Florida isn't lighting the league on fire either.
-> Bet on the Rangers to win at NorthStarBets!
The Panthers have lost three of their last five games.
Recent struggles from Sergei Bobrovsky are also worth noting. The veteran puck-stopper owns a very pedestrian .889 save percentage in his last four appearances.
Rangers vs. Panthers predictions made at 9:45 a.m. ET Jan. 2, 2025.
