Rangers beat Panthers 5-1 in first outdoor hockey game in Miami

MIAMI — Send the New York Rangers outdoors, and they become unbeatable

MIAMI — Send the New York Rangers outdoors, and they become unbeatable.

Mika Zibanejad had a hat trick, Artemi Panarin scored twice and the Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the Winter Classic — the first outdoor game played in the Sunshine State.

Alexis Lafrenière had three assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots for the Rangers, who improved to 6-0-0 in outdoor games. Zibanejad added two assists, giving him the first five-point outdoor game in NHL history.

“It’s been amazing,” Zibanejad said. “It was a great effort. Not a whole lot of shots on goal, but we got it done.”

Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which was playing outdoors for the first time and lost for the fourth time in its last six contests overall. The Panthers gave up goals to Zibanejad and Panarin 64 seconds apart late in the first period, giving New York a 2-0 lead, and the Rangers kept control the rest of the way.