Outdoor Classics

On February 18, the Rangers will play the New York Islanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey as part of the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.

The contest will be the Rangers’ fifth all-time outdoor game, and they have won each of the previous four outdoor games in which they have played. The Blueshirts are the only NHL team that has played in at least three outdoor games and has won every contest. Henrik Lundqvist was on the ice for every second of the 242 minutes and 43 seconds the Rangers have played outdoors, and he is the only goaltender in NHL history who has won four outdoor games.

As anticipation and excitement builds for the fifth all-time outdoor game in franchise history, here is a recap of the Rangers’ first four outdoor games and the perspective of each game through the lens – or mask – of the legendary goaltender who backstopped the team to each victory.

January 2, 2012 (2012 NHL Winter Classic) – Rangers defeated Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

The Rangers’ first all-time regular season outdoor game was against their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, at Citizens Bank Park (the home of MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies) in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic. The anticipation for puck drop was extended by two hours due to the temperature and glare from the sun, and once the game started, the energy was palpable from start to finish.

The Flyers scored the first two goals of the game, taking a 2-0 lead with 5:39 remaining in the second period. Thirty seconds after Philadelphia’s second goal, Rangers forward Mike Rupp scored his second goal of the 2011-12 season and celebrating the goal by imitating the “salute” goal celebration of Flyers forward (and former Rangers forward) Jaromir Jagr.

Less than three minutes into the third period, Rupp scored his second goal of the game to tie the contest, and Brad Richards followed Rupp’s goal with one of his own at 5:21 of the period to give the Rangers their first lead of the game.

As the Rangers attempted to hold the lead and win the game, the Flyers’ Daniel Briere was awarded a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaining in regulation. With all of the 46,967 people in attendance standing, Lundqvist denied Briere from scoring on the penalty shot, and in dramatic fashion, helped the Rangers emerge with a 3-2 victory.

Lundqvist’s Lens: “There was such a big buildup to the game. It was our first outdoor game, and I also remember we had the TV crew (from HBO’s show “24/7 – Road to the NHL’s Winter Classic”) following us around for a few weeks. There was so much anticipation and excitement going into that game. It was a lot of fun to have that first experience playing outdoors; it was a lot to take in. The game was great and had a dramatic finish with that penalty shot in the end. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.”

January 26, 2014 (2014 NHL Stadium Series) – Rangers defeated New Jersey Devils, 7-3, at Yankee Stadium

During the 2013-14 season, the Rangers played two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium in front of a crowd that surpassed 50,000 people as part of the NHL’s slate of Stadium Series contests. The Rangers’ first contest was a Sunday afternoon game against the New Jersey Devils.

As was the case for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, the start of the game was delayed due to the weather. Unlike the Rangers’ first outdoor game, however, goals were scored quickly and frequently once the game began.

New Jersey took a 3-1 lead with just under four minutes to play in the first period. Less than one minute after the Devils took their two-goal lead, Marc Staal scored for the Rangers to cut their deficit to one heading into the first intermission. Mats Zuccarello tied the game for the Rangers early in the second period and scored another goal nearly 10 minutes later to put the Blueshirts ahead.

Carl Hagelin and Rick Nash each scored a goal before the end of the second period to give the Rangers a 6-3 lead and chase Martin Brodeur from the net, and Derek Stepan capped off the win with a penalty shot goal against Cory Schneider midway through the third period.

Lundqvist’s Lens: “I remember for many years we talked about how it would be so cool to get the opportunity to play at Yankee Stadium. When it finally happened, it was very exciting. What I remember about the game against the Devils was there was a delay because of the sun and the glare, so I went in to take a nap since I thought we had a couple of hours before it would start. Then someone came running in and said the start time was moved up again and that we would be on the ice in 20 minutes, so it was scramble mode to get out on the ice. My start wasn’t great, but I felt better as the game moved on, and we were able to win.”

January 29, 2014 (2014 NHL Stadium Series) – Rangers defeated New York Islanders, 2-1, at Yankee Stadium

With a 7:45 p.m. start time and a game-time temperature of 22^o Fahrenheit, the flow of the Rangers’ game against the Islanders was different than their game against the Devils three days prior.

The Islanders’ Brock Nelson opened the scoring with 1:27 remaining in the second period, but the Rangers tied the contest 40 seconds later on a goal from Benoit Pouliot. Less than five minutes into the third period, the Rangers received a goal from an unlikely source, as Daniel Carcillo retrieved the rebound from a Dominic Moore shot and beat Evgeni Nabokov to put the Blueshirts ahead, 2-1.

Carcillo’s goal proved to be the game-winner, as Lundqvist, who finished with 30 saves, prevented the Islanders from tying the contest.

Lundqvist’s Lens: “What I remember about this game was that it was pretty cold. I had something along the lines of heating packs in both of my skates and my gloves, and I had at least three layers of shirts on. The game itself was a nice win for us, and it’s still a great memory that I have. It was definitely cool to play at Yankee Stadium, no question about it.”

January 1, 2018 (2018 NHL Winter Classic) – Rangers defeated Buffalo Sabres, 3-2 (OT), at Citi Field

The Rangers’ most recent outdoor game took place on a Monday afternoon on New Year’s Day at Citi Field, as the Blueshirts faced the Buffalo Sabres. With the game-time temperature at a brisk 21^o Fahrenheit, the Rangers were hot from the start, as Paul Carey and Michael Grabner each scored goals within the first half of the first period to give the team a 2-0 lead.

The Sabres scored a goal in the opening minute of both the second period and the third period to tie the game, and once the game was tied in the third period, neither Lundqvist nor the Sabres’ Robin Lehner allowed a goal for the remainder of regulation. Lundqvist, in particular, had to be sharp down the stretch to keep the game tied, as he stopped Zemgus Girgensons’ shot from in between the circles with 2:15 remaining in the period.

In overtime, Jimmy Vesey drew a tripping penalty to give the Rangers a power play opportunity. On the power play, J.T. Miller scored on the game-winning goal on a rebound chance from in front of the net.

Lundqvist’s Lens: “To win in overtime provided a little bit of extra excitement around the game. By the time we played this game – the fourth time we played outdoors – you kind of know the process and what to expect. Your routines change so much when it’s a game like that because of the buildup, how you get there, and everything around the game. You have to just wing it a little bit. It was fun to win again.

“Obviously, in all of these games, you want to try to win, have a great experience, and have great memories to look back on years later.”