Maurice, Panthers Go Into Miami Winter Classic Feeling a Little Sour

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers ended what was, by all accounts, a spectacular 2025 on Tuesday night.

In this calendar year, Florida not only won its second Stanley Cup championship but brought Brad Marchand and Seth Jones into the family.

The Panthers also signed Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad to long-term deals.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Yet, as far as Paul Maurice went, 2025 went out with a thud.

The Panthers closed out their year with three of the available four points in a back-to-back set against the Capitals and Canadiens.

Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal sounds like it is going to linger for a moment.

Sure, the Panthers break open 2026 with the NHL Winter Classic spectacular in Miami.

The team is going to be staying on Miami Beach with their families, playing in an outdoor game that will promise to be most unusual.

But … yet.

“I’m going to grumble for a while and find a way to be in a good mood two days,’’ Maurice said.

“I don’t  think we need to let that one sit for a day.”

The Panthers woulda, shoulda, coulda put the Canadiens away after taking a 2-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the third Tuesday after Marchand and Sam Reinhart scored.

It was Marchand’s 23rd goal of the season in Game No. 39 which matches all of the goals he scored last season between what appears to be his final season with the Boston Bruins and his finish following a Trade Deadline blockbuster to the Panthers in March.

Reinhart now has 22 goals which puts him on pace to score more in his career aside from the insane 57 he put in two years ago.

Anyway, the Panthers coughed up that 2-goal lead in those final 5 minutes with Montreal’s Cole Caufield scoring off a pick play that knocked Aaron Ekblad out of positioning.

Then, Nick Suzuki tied it with 1:22 remaining when goalie Daniil Tarasov and Ekblad goofed on playing a puck behind the net — and it ended up being in the back of it on a rifle of a shot from the right circle.

The Panthers came out firing in overtime looking for that extra point, only Marchand crushed a downed Mike Matheson in the corner for the dreaded 4-on-3 penalty kill in OT with Suzuki getting his second on a tap-in just before Marchand got out of the box.

The Canadiens are not a team you give a 4-on-3 OT power play to.

Regardless of how it all went down, Maurice was not thrilled with the performance and, from what it sounds like, will not be all too cheerful with ringing in the New Year.

Does not sound like he will be sipping Champagne while watching the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl come Wednesday night, nor tuning in to see the antics from Times Square.

Maybe he will cheer up by then.

“I am going to grumble for a little while,’’ Maurice said, “and will try to be in a good mood in two days.’’

Of course, Thursday brings a New Year and a trip to Little Havana for a ‘practice’ session at LoanDepot Park.

The Winter Classic is a special event not only for the Panthers and for South Florida, but for the families and friends who will be part of it.

It is technically a home game for the Panthers, only this will not feel like it.

Friday’s outdoor game will be the Panthers’ first in Dade County since they left Miami Arena in 1998 after their first five seasons of existence.

The team will be wearing new jerseys and equipment for the first time since they rocked those JetBlue throwbacks during the 2022-23 season, and playing under the Miami sky will be something few could have fathomed just a few years ago.

“They’re opportunities that don’t come around very often,’’ said Marchand, who was celebrated before the game for scoring his 1,000th NHL point back in November.

“They tend to be kind of crazy, a lot of mayhem, but they’re moments that you look back in your career and they’re some of your favorite times, the ones you always go back and talk about. So it’ll be a great opportunity for everyone.”

Said Maurice: “It truly is a wonderful thing to experience. When we get to that event, we want to make sure we take it all in and enjoy it. This is one of the great events for a hockey team … You don’t want to be thinking about your last game. You want to take it all in and enjoy it, put on a good show for the fans.’’

ON DECK: GAME No. 40

THE 2026 NHL WINTER CLASSIC

NEW YORK RANGERS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Friday; 8 p.m.
• Where: LoanDepot Park, Miami
• National TV: TNT/truTV (US); Sportsnet/TVA (Canada)
• Streaming: HBO Max
• Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 931 or 932, NHL App
• Last Season vs. Rangers: Panthers Won 2-1
• This Season vs. Rangers — At Panthers: Winter Classic; April 13. At Rangers: March 29.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Rangers lead 62-36-8, 6 ties
• Postseason History: Rangers won 4-1 (1997, 1st round); Panthers won 4-2 (2024 ECF)
• Up Next for the Panthers: Sunday vs. Colorado Avalanche, 5 p.m.