NHL Best Bets & Picks for Rangers vs Panthers Winter Classic – Jan. 2 Predictions
On Friday, the National Hockey League (NHL) has four games on the slate, with the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues meeting at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN+ in a matinee game. But, all eyes will be on South Florida, where the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers meet at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida for the Winter Classic.
The game will take place in the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins, and it's going to be strange seeing that stadium with an actual crowd of 30,000 fans. The NHL has a not-so-secret plan to create snowflakes for during the game, too, so look out for that on television.
The roof is retractable, and temperatures are forecast to be 64 degrees at 8 p.m., with clear conditions and humidity around 60 percent, dropping to around 60 degrees by the end of the game.
We'll take a look at some same-game parlay (SGP) possibilities, and we'll also kick the tires on some game prop plays to make things a little more interesting. Let's get started.
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Expert NHL Best Bets for Rangers vs Panthers Winter Classic Matchup
New York Rangers 
at Florida Panthers 
On the way to South Florida, the Rangers (19-17-5) will play a game in Washington on New Year's Eve, before heading to Miami for the "outdoor" festivities and/or spectacle. The puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST, barring any ice issues, and it can be viewed or streamed on TNT/HBO Max/truTV.
The Panthers (21-15-3) suffered a 3-2 loss in overtime in their regular home, Amerant Bank Arena, which has obviously been the scene of some special thrills over the past couple of seasons with two Stanley Cup championships, three Finals, etc.
Florida has posted a 6-2-1 record in the past nine games, while going 9-3-2 across the previous 14 outings. It's all about the Over lately, too, going 5-1-0 in the past six outings, with the offense averaging 3.4 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 3.5 GPG.
The Panthers have welcomed back Matthew Tkachuk (groin) to practice, too. He resumed on-ice workouts last weekend, and head coach Paul Maurice did not rule out Tkachuk potentially making his season debut, although the star forward has to pass some medical hurdles and benchmarks first.
New York has been far more impressive on the road this season, heading into D.C. with a 14-7-2 record, while going just 5-10-3 at Madison Square Garden, with six shutout losses on home ice, which is just inexplicable. New York has been blanked eight times total, too.
The Rangers head on the trip with injuries, as Adam Fox (upper body) is considered day-to-day, and J.T. Miller (upper body) is more of a week-to-week type of ailment.
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
It's no surprise that a team that has been shut out eight times would have trouble scoring goals. New York is averaging just 2.5 GPG to rank 31st in the NHL, while ranking 17th on the power play with a 19.0 percent mark.
Defensively, the Rangers are allowing just 2.7 GPG to rank 7th in the NHL, while New York is so-so with an 80.5 percent penalty kill, checking in 14th in the NHL.
Assuming there is no injury in Washington, Igor Shesterkin (16-12-4, 2.51 GAA, .909 save percentage, 1 SO - record as of Dec. 31) is likely to start for the visitors. It's hard to imagine anybody but Sergei Bobrovsky (17-9-1, 2.80 GAA, .888 save percentage, 3 SO) in the cage for the Cats, even if he has been a little erratic at times.
Bob has started to piece things together, as have the Panthers, and he is 7-2-1 with a 2.67 GAA, .896 save percentage and one shutout in 10 December starts after posting a 3.43 GAA and .864 SV% in nine November outings, giving Daniil Tarasov a larger-than-expected role.
The Panthers have won five of the past six meetings in this series, with the Under going 4-2 in the previous six installments.
This is Florida's first brush with the Winter Classic, or any type of stadium series-type game.
New York won 6-5 in overtime against the New York Islanders on Feb. 18, 2024, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in its most recent foray outside. Prior to that, the Rangers won 3-2 in overtime over the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field in Queens on Jan. 1, 2018. It also won back-to-back Stadium Series games on Jan. 26-29, 2014, at Yankee Stadium against the New Jersey Devils (7-3) and Islanders (2-1). Before that, it was a 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2, 2012. That's a 5-0 mark in the past five regular-season NHL outdoor games for the Rangers.
We're going to back the Rangers to get the job done on the road against the Panthers in what should be a weird, fun and entertaining night in Miami on Friday.
We'll also go low on the total, as the ice could be rather sticky for an outdoor event in a venue with warmer ambient temperatures and higher humidity.
- Ranger ML (+130 at BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
- Under 5.5 (+100 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Key NHL Betting Trends Shaping Today's Picks
2-Leg NHL Outdoor Same-Game Parlay (+286 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Rangers ML (+125) at Panthers
- Under 5.5 (-110) - Rangers at Panthers
