*This archive was originally written by Brendan Azoff
The New York Rangers are 5-0-0 in outdoor games since they played in their first Winter Classic in 2012 against the Philadelphia Flyers. They continued their mastery in the elements Feb. 18, 2024, when they defeated the New York Islanders in a thrilling overtime affair at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in the 2024 Stadium Series.
This year’s series also featured the New Jersey Devils beating the Flyers 6-3 on Feb. 17, an outstanding two-day hockey extravaganza the tri-state area had longed for since the Rangers, Devils and Islanders squared off back in 2014.
The Blueshirts improved to 2-0 outdoors against the Islanders in the latest matchup, an instant classic of a game that will go down as yet another storied chapter between the bitter rivals. Let’s revisit the Rangers’ five-game run of perfection while playing hockey the way nature intended.
2012 Winter Classic: Rangers vs. Flyers
The 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens’ Bank Park in Philadelphia was the NHL’s fifth edition of the event. Both teams came into that game playing great hockey, making everyone more excited about the clash.
And the game did not disappoint.
The clubs took some time to adjust to the new surroundings, playing a scoreless first period that was a strategic and entertaining chess match. Then the second started, and the Flyers jumped on the Rangers, getting goals from Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux and going up 2-0 with 5:39 remaining in the period.
Just 30 seconds later, Mike Rupp skated down the middle, got a pass, and fired home a wrist shot, celebrating with the “Jagr Salute” while Jaromir Jagr sat and watched from the Flyers’ bench. Rupp, a fourth-line enforcer, was the unexpected hero the Rangers needed, and he struck again 2:41 into the third period.
Brad Richards got the go-ahead goal just shy of three minutes later, but the game’s highlight came with 19 seconds remaining. Every Winter Classic has its moment, and in 2012, that occurred after Ryan McDonagh was called for covering the puck in the crease, giving the Flyers’ Danny Briere a penalty shot with the clock dwindling.
As Briere rushed in and ripped a shot five-hole, Henrik Lundqvist calmly dropped down and made the save, sealing the 3-2 win for the Rangers. Lundqvist, who finished with 34 stops, delivered one of his signature moments on one of the NHL’s grander stages.
It was a memorable day and game and got the Rangers’ winning ways outdoors started.
2014 Stadium Series: Rangers vs. Devils
Just two years later, the Rangers found themselves back outside, playing the first of their two Stadium Series games against the Devils, this one at Yankee Stadium. Unlike 2012, this game wasted no time getting going, with Patrik Elias opening the scoring 5:36 into the first period. Dominic Moore tied it up for the Rangers, but Elias’s second of the game and a tally by Travis Zajac put the Rangers in a familiar situation.
Here they were in an outdoor game trailing by two goals. Then, the momentum changed at the end of the first when Marc Staal picked up a loose puck along the boards and harmlessly threw it toward the net. Somehow, it eluded Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, and the Rangers ended the first down only by a goal.
Related Story: Former Ranger Marc Staal’s Unlikely Path to the Stanley Cup Final
With the momentum on their side, the Rangers burst out of the gate in the second. Mats Zuccarello scored early to tie it and then again 10 minutes later to take the lead. Carl Hagelin and Rick Nash also scored in the second, expanding the lead to 6-3.
Oddly enough, Derek Stepan got the seventh goal via a third-period penalty shot, finishing off his in a way Briere could not two years prior. It was another comeback win, this 7-3 victory finishing more comfortably than the Blueshirts’ previous outdoor rally. When the final buzzer sounded, the Rangers celebrated their victory and prepared for their next battle, which took place three days later.
2014 Stadium Series: Rangers vs. Islanders
Skating at the same historic venue at which they had just defeated the Devils, the Rangers battled the Islanders for the first time outdoors. Following the same script, the Rangers gave up the game’s first goal in the second period, as Brock Nelson found the back of the net.
Instead of the usual, “Let’s go down by two goals and come back,” Rangers forward Benoit Pouliot answered 40 seconds later, tying it at one in the final minute of the second period. As the game crept into the third, another unlikely hero scored the game-winner, as Daniel Carcillo fired home a rebound.
The Rangers won 2-1, sweeping the Stadium Series. Lundqvist stopped 30 of 31 shots as the Rangers once again found a way to respond after being down, a mantra of the team at the time.
2018 Winter Classic: Rangers vs. Sabres
This one took place at the New York Mets’ home, Citi Field, against the Buffalo Sabres. Although both are New York-based franchises, this wasn’t your expected rivalry for the Winter Classic. But when the two sides hit the ice and started to play, the records went out the window, and what we got was a great hockey game.
This time, the Rangers flipped the script. They scored the first two goals, as Paul Carey and Michael Grabner each netted one in the first period. Of course, just when you think the Rangers would coast to an easy victory, the Sabres started to creep back, scoring in the first minute of the second period and again in the first minute of the third.
Sam Reinhart scored the first goal, with Rasmus Ristolainen picking up the second. With 60 minutes complete and the Rangers’ last goal coming with 11:40 remaining in the first period, things looked dicey. Overtime started as a sense of nervousness took over Citi Field, but halfway through OT, the Rangers would go on the power play.
As they worked the puck around on the four-on-three advantage, Kevin Shattenkirk blasted the puck off Robin Lehner’s pad, finding the stick of J.T. Miller, who deposited it into the net. Miller celebrated the 3-2 win with the flames shooting up behind the boards.
2024 Stadium Series: Rangers vs. Islanders
Anyone who thought the NHL’s annual forays outdoors are losing their luster need only have watched this spectacle, undoubtedly one of the high points of the 2023-24 season. In front of 79,690 fans at the home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants, the Rangers put together a thrilling comeback for a 6-5 overtime victory that stunned their neighbors to the east.
After waiting out a 45-minute delay to allow bright sunshine to move off the ice, the teams got underway in somewhat windy conditions, but with perfect temperatures hovering in the high 30s. The Rangers, though, didn’t look ready to play. Despite grabbing a 1-0 lead on Erik Gustafsson’s shot from the point just 1:28 in, it was the Islanders who controlled the first period. Three straight goals from Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal in a 3:14 span gave the designated home team a two-goal lead at the first intermission.
The opening 20 minutes also witnessed the beginning of “Rempemania,” with giant Rangers rookie enforcer Matt Rempe accepting a challenge from Islanders tough guy Matt Martin on his first NHL shift, coming right off the faceoff that followed Gustafsson’s goal. Rempe – the first player in NHL history to make his debut in an outdoor game – won the fight and pumped his arms on his way to the penalty box, adding a further dose of electricity to a game already crackling with it.
Anders Lee made it 4-1 Isles on a goal 1:03 into the second, but the Rangers finally showed signs of life on Vincent Trocheck’s tip-in on the power play four and half minutes later. Trocheck got another tally with 1:36 remaining in the period to pull the Blueshirts within 4-3, setting the stage for an unforgettable third period and overtime.
The Islanders struck again early in a period, with Alexander Romanov converting at 1:53 of the third in what appeared to put an end to the Rangers’ hopes of a comeback. The goal, however, only turned out to set up greater drama.
Down two and with a 4-on-3 power play with 4:08 remaining, the Rangers pulled Igor Shesterkin for a two-man advantage and got a deflected goal from Chris Kreider. With another power play and Shesterkin pulled again for the two-man edge, Mika Zibanejad’s blast into the top of the net with 1:29 to go tied the score and set off a wild Rangers celebration.
The extra period lasted only 10 seconds, but even that was drama-filled. Artemi Panarin stole the puck from defenseman Noah Dobson and fired the puck into the net, which had been dislodged by an Isles player, but officials ruled the goal counted because Panarin had already shot the puck before the net came off its moorings.
Comebacks have been the overriding theme in the Rangers fashioning their spotless record outside, with the Blueshirts rallying four times to win. All of the contests have been thrilling, none more so than the most recent installment that’s set a very high bar to match for their next outdoor game – whenever that might be.
