Mika Zibanejad ensured the Rangers maintained their perfect outdoor record as he scored a hat trick as part of a five-point effort at LoanDepot Park on Friday night. It was a Winter Classic for the ages, and the Rangers toppled the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, 5-1.

One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is called “Miami 2017,” and the first line of the song is, “I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway.” The song has nothing to do with hockey, but it serves as a remarkably relevant metaphor for the Rangers’ desire to put an abysmal 2025 behind themselves and start fresh in… Miami.

The New York Rangers are 5-0-0 all-time outdoors. They look to continue their undefeated record tomorrow night. The Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers begins live from LoanDepot Park tomorrow at 8 PM (TNT, TruTV, HBO Max).

I suppose the Rangers were already lounging on South Beach, because they didn’t put up much of a fight yesterday in our nation’s capital, falling to the Capitals 6-3. Washington currently holds the first Eastern Conference Wild Card position, while the Rangers sit three points out of a playoff spot.

The final 13 seconds of overtime. That’s when Jackson Blake scored a game-winning power play goal. For a second straight overtime period, the Rangers were flagged for a costly penalty. This time, it was Matthew Robertson who went to the box for tripping Taylor Hall.

The Rangers scored seven goals against Washington in their final game before the Christmas break. Somehow, after nearly a week of rest, they got shut out on Long Island. For the second time this season, they couldn’t score a single goal against the Islanders. This time, David Rittich – not Ilya Sorokin – shut the Rangers out 2-0 on a Saturday night.

Yesterday was a very merry Knicksmas. At Madison Square Garden yesterday, the Knicks achieved their greatest comeback win of the season. They overcame a 17-point deficit with 10:26 remaining in regulation to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124.

The Washington Capitals held a 16-0-0 record when leading after two periods of hockey. Last night, the Rangers obliterated that streak with five third-period goals, and they beat Washington 7-3. Yes, Giants fans, the Blueshirts – not Big Blue – have a kicker (five different kickers have attempted PATs for the Giants this season).

I’ve heard various opinions on how it feels to play back-to-backs, and the Rangers have six more left this season. Undoubtedly, they are challenging. Hockey is grueling enough already, and to play consecutive days is even harder. I’ve also heard that when a team is riding an offensive groove, back-to-backs can be fun.

Captains alert! In St. Louis, captain JT Miller scored the game-winning goal for the Rangers in overtime against the Blues. In Indianapolis, captain Jalen Brunson hit the game-winning three-point shot to help the Knicks complete an improbable comeback win over the Pacers.

Six shutout losses in 17 home games is absurd, embarrassing, and shameful. On Tuesday night, the Rangers lost 3-0 to Thatcher Demko and the NHL-worst Canucks. It was their seventh shutout loss of the season.

The Small Man conquered the Alien. David beat Goliath. Last night in Vegas, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks defeated Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs by a score of 124-113 to win the NBA Cup, their first title since 1973.

Tonight is a special night for the New York Knicks. If we have learned anything from the past week of Knicks basketball, it’s that the NBA Cup matters, and this team is committed to winning it. The Knicks’ performance in the NBA Cup tournament could be a preview of what’s to come in April, May, and June.

Tonight, the Small Man will battle the Alien. Tonight, the Knicks will play the Spurs in a race for the NBA Cup.

Mika Zibanejad has been scratched from tonight’s game, the same game in which Chris Kreider is scheduled to return to the Garden. It’s easy to fear that Zibanejad might, once again, be protesting against Chris Drury and upper management’s decision to trade Kreider this past offseason.

After the 2-11 Giants suffered a 33-15 Monday Night Football loss to the 11-2 Patriots two weeks ago, interim head coach Mike Kafka addressed his team in the film room. The head coach candidate showed very little confidence as he attempted to motivate his players.

I love the Rangers’ centennial jerseys. They’re a classic shade of blue with off-white letters and numbers made of felt. The jerseys are modeled after the club’s original jerseys from 1926. They look they’re best in contrast with another Original Six team’s centennial jersey, like in last night’s color-on-color matchup in Chicago.

There’s a television advertisement for the NBA Cup, and it features several NBA stars in a car chase across the desert in pursuit of the NBA Cup. The commercial asks, “Who will capture the Cup?” and it features Karl-Anthony Towns crashing through the glass of a New York City restaurant, jumping in a yellow cap, and speeding through the Vegas desert.

Before the Rangers hosted the Stars last Tuesday, if you had told me the Blueshirts were going to take six of eight points from Dallas, Ottawa, Colorado, and Vegas over the course of six days, I would have probably called you crazy. Dallas, Colorado, and Vegas are three of the best teams in the NHL, and given the Rangers’ abysmal record at home this season, they could never compete with such formidable opponents.

Artemi Panarin!

Last night in Ottawa, the Rangers beat the Senators 4-2, and Panarin recorded his 900th career point. He is the sixth undrafted player since 1964 to reach 900 points in at least 800 games (781). His 30 points this season lead the Rangers, and he’s scored 10 in his last six games, during which the Blueshirts have posted a 5-1-0 record.

It’s easy to beat Charlotte. The 6-16 Charlotte Hornets don’t threaten the New York Knicks.

The big bad Knicks think they’re so great. They can be. They should be. But they aren’t. Not yet.

Last night at the Garden, the Knicks beat the Hornets 119-104 and improved to 11-1 at home. However, it was clear the Knicks didn’t learn anything from their loss in Boston the night before.