The Panthers will take on their trusted rival Boston Bruins today in every Cats’ fan favorite (not!) matinee game.
These 1PM ET / 12PM CT games are usually awful for Florida…
Per Litter Box Cats:
“
The Bruins enter today’s tilt on a nasty six-game losing streak that has seen score just 11 times over that span. Boston was beaten 4-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at Amalie Arena, which cost them third place in the Atlantic Division. David Pastrnak leads the team in all major offensive categories with 17 goals, 25 assists and 42 points.”
I called it at the beginning of the season that Jesper Boqvist was becoming a favorite of mine on this team, and that feeling has only strengthened as this season has gone on. This guy is awesome and another one of Zito’s bargain bin finds!
WINTER CLASSIC
As exciting as it is to be a Homer Simpson and enjoy an afternoon game with a cold Duff today, the Winter Classic news that broke the other day is even more exciting.
From the
Panthers’ site:
“The National Hockey League announced today that the Discover 2026 NHL Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. TNT will broadcast the 2026 NHL Winter Classic exclusively in the U.S.”
Adding:
“‘
After the success and fan reception of the 2023 All-Star Game and two Stanley Cup Finals in South Florida, we are thrilled to welcome another marquee NHL event in the Winter Classic, said President and CEO Matt Caldwell. “We have long anticipated this moment and can’t wait to see loanDepot park filled with hockey fans for what promises to be a memorable matchup in South Florida.”
This game will mark the southernmost outdoor matchup in NHL history just a short drive away from the site where the Panthers first debuted as a franchise in 1993 and the first-ever NHL regular-season outdoor game for the Panthers. The NHL Winter Classic continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year. It will be the 17th NHL Winter Classic and the 44th NHL regular-season outdoor game overall. Scheduled for January 2026, the event will make Florida the 19th U.S. state to host an outdoor game.”
As someone who finds the WC extremely gimmicky now, I must admit I’m very excited for this one. I’m most excited to see what jersey/setup they come up with for the Cats.
You know what I’d love to see? Each team wearing Cooperalls for the game. To me, those represent playing on a frozen pond in your sweats/snowpants. Would love to see this happen some time in a WC game.
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Anyways…let’s get a W today!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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