Ranking best New York Rangers outdoor games after 2026 Winter Classic win
The New York Rangers are 6-0-0 and have more outdoor victories than any team in NHL history after their 5-1 convincing 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in the 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami.
In those six outdoor victories, the Rangers outscored the opposition by a combined 26-14. Four of the games were decided by one goal, including a pair in overtime. The Rangers came from behind to win three times, and scored the game-winning goal twice in the third period.
They own an even split, winning three times in the Winter Classic and three times in the Stadium Series. Alain Vigneault was behind the Rangers bench for three outdoor victories. John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette, and Mike Sullivan each won once outdoors as coach of the Rangers. Hall-of-Famer Henrik Lundqvist retired with four outdoor wins, more than any goalie in NHL history.
In an interesting twist, the Rangers were the visiting team in each of the six games, including three played in New York City. The reason being that the Rangers would forfeit a sizeable tax exemption if they hosted a game anywhere but at Madison Square Garden.
So, there’s plenty of good history for the Rangers outdoors, making it difficult to differentiate which game was the best of all. But here’s our take, ranking each of their six outdoor games.
6. 2014 Stadium Series: Rangers 7 – Devils 3
On Jan. 26, 2014, in the first of consecutive outdoor games at Yankee Stadium over a span of three days, the Rangers rallied for a 7-3 win over the Devils. Henrik Lundqvist surrendered three first-period goals after the matinee was delayed by sun glare on the ice. He didn’t allow the Devils to score again, and the Rangers exploded for six unanswered goals after trailing 3-1. They knocked legendary Devils goalie Martin Brodeur out of the game in the process, with Mats Zuccarello leading the way with two goals. Derek Stepan put the finishing touches on this one when he scored on a penalty shot midway through the third period.
5. 2014 Stadium Series: Rangers 2 – Islanders 1
On an absolutely frigid night, Daniel Carcillo scored a greasy third-period goal off a scramble in front of the Islanders net to lift the Rangers to their second outdoor win in three days at Yankee Stadium. The Islanders scored first on a Brock Nelson goal at 18:33 of the second period, but the Rangers answered back 40 seconds later when Benoit Pouliot scored. It was a night for the goalies, with Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves) outdueling Evgenii Nabokov (32 saves).
4. 2018 Winter Classic: Rangers 3 – Sabres 2 (OT)
J.T. Miller buried the rebound of a Kevin Shattenkirk power-play shot at 2:43 of overtime to secure this win for the Rangers on Jan. 1, 2018, at Citi Field. Miller’s heroics saved the Rangers from a bad loss. They held a 2-0 lead after one period, but allowed the Sabres to pull even with single goals in the second and third periods. Sabres goalie Robin Lehner had a lot to do with Buffalo’s comeback, too. Lehner finished with 39 saves, eight more than fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 31 of 33 shots.
3. 2026 Winter Classic: Rangers 5 – Panthers 1
The first-ever outdoor game in Florida, and the southern-most game in NHL history on Jan. 2, 2024, is best known for Miami Mika Magic. Rangers center Mika Zibanejad recorded the first hat trick in Winter Classic history and became the first NHL player with five points in any outdoor game. Artemi Panarin (two goals, one assist) and Alexis Lafreniere (career-high three assists) each had three points, and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves in the impressive win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park.
2. 2024 Stadium Series: Rangers 6 – Islanders 5 (OT)
No argument if someone wants to put this game in front of 80,000 fans at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 18, 2024, as the best, most exciting, or most memorable outdoor game in Rangers history. It was an absolute thriller, when the Rangers rallied from 4-1 and 5-3 deficits to stun their arch-rivals on Artemi Panarin’s goal 10 seconds into overtime. To even get to overtime, the Rangers needed power-play goals from Chris Kreider at 15:53 and Mika Zibanejad at 18:31 of the third period. Vincent Trocheck had two goals and an assist, and Igor Shesterkin settled in after a rough start to finish with 36 saves. Matt Rempe made his NHL debut and fought Matt Martin at center ice on his first shift.
1. 2012 Winter Classic: Rangers 3 – Flyers 2
You always remember your first, as the saying goes. And for the Rangers, their first outdoor game on Jan. 2, 2012 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, was an instant classic, worthy of the top ranking here. After a two-hour sun-glare delay and a scoreless first period, the Flyers scored twice in a span of 1:55 late in the second to put the visitors in an unenviable hole. But Mike Rupp scored 30 seconds after Philly’s second goal to get the Rangers right back in it, and stirred the pot by imitating the goal salute by Flyers forward (and former Rangers captain) Jaromir Jagr. Rupp then scored again 2:41 into the third period to tie the game. Brad Richards put the Rangers ahead at 5:21, and Henrik Lundqvist made it stand up as the game-winner when he denied Daniel Briere on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaining in regulation — arguably the most memorable save in any NHL outdoor game.
