Miller's OT goal lifts Rangers past Sabres in Winter Classic

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — J.T. Miller was in the perfect spot in front of the goal to take advantage of a rebound in overtime and keep the New York Rangers perfect in four regular season outdoor games.

Miller scored a power-play goal 2:43 into the extra period to lift the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday in the NHL’s 10th Winter Classic at Citi Field.

The Rangers went on the power play 2:15 into overtime when Jacob Josefson was whistled for tripping Jimmy Vesey. On the winner, Kevin Shattenkirk fired a shot that rebounded right to Miller, who put it in.

“Fortunate to get a good shot to the net,” Miller said. “Not too often they come right on the stick like that.”

Paul Carey and Michael Grabner scored in the first period for the Rangers, who improved to a league-best 4-0 in outdoor games during the season. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots to help New York improve to 6-2-3 in its last 11 overall.

“We talked about going into this game there’s no way you’re going to look back at this as a great memory if you don’t win,” said Lundqvist, who is 4-0-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average outdoors. “Now we got a big win and we can always look back at this game as a great experience.”

Rasmus Ristolainen had a goal and an assist, Sam Reinhart also scored and Kyle Okposo had two assists for the Sabres. Robin Lehner finished with 39 saves for Buffalo, which has just 10 wins this season but is 4-3-5 in its last 12 games.

“The first 10 minutes were not very good, we were kind of dipping our toe in,” Okposo said. “Once we calmed down and played our game, we played well. So I’m proud of the guys, proud of the way we played.”

The game, played at the home of baseball’s New York Mets, was on the 10th anniversary of the Sabres’ 2-1 shootout loss to Pittsburgh in Buffalo in the first Winter Classic. This was also the league’s 24th regular season outdoor game.

Lundqvist made a sensational save on an attempt by Zemgus Girgensons with 2:12 remaining to keep the score tied.

“It was a fun game to play,” Lundqvist said. “Overall, I thought we were the better team, but we took a lot of penalties that put us on our heels a little bit.”

The national anthem was performed by the Every Voice Choirs, a New York City-based group of children born in 2008, the year of the first Winter Classic. The Goo Goo Dolls, a rock band that started in the Buffalo area, performed during the first intermission.

Despite the official temperature at puck drop at 20.5 degrees, the game drew a sellout crowd of 41,821.

“It was loud, the crowd was behind both teams,” Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. “It was great for us to find a way to come through in overtime.”

There was a shadow across about half the ice lengthwise at the start of the game. By the middle of the opening period, the shadow was at least partially covering about two-thirds of the ice, with the team benches in sun along the outfield edge and facing where home plate usually sits. The playing surface was completely in the shade at the start of the second period, except for the side boards to Lehner’s right on the first base side of the field.

The Sabres trailed 2-0 after one period before Reinhart cut the deficit in half 56 seconds into the second period on a rebound of Ristolainen’s shot.

Shortly before that, Lehner made a stellar stop on a short-handed breakaway by Grabner that would’ve given the Rangers a three-goal lead.

The Sabres tied it 27 seconds into the third as Ristolainen fired a wrist shot off a pass from Ryan O’Reilly.

“We got the momentum back,” Lehner said. “We start working hard, they start taking penalties. We got back to the game. Unfortunately we got a penalty there (in overtime).”

New York got on the scoreboard at 4:09 of the first as Carey got a pass from Jesper Fast and fired it past Lehner from straightaway.

Grabner made it 2-0 at 8:20. Marc Staal sent the puck of Lehner’s back as he spun around and skated past the left side of the goal, and it came to Grabner at the right side and he put it in for his 18th of the season.

NOTES: Lundqvist also got his 423rd career victory, tying Tony Esposito for eighth place all-time on the NHL’s career list. ... Lundqvist, McDonagh and Staal have played in each of the Rangers’ four regular season outdoor games. ... Buffalo LW Benoit Pouliot played in his fifth outdoor game, tying Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brad Richards, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews for the most. Pouliot previously appeared in two Heritage Classic games — for Montreal on Feb. 20, 2011, and Edmonton on Oct. 23, 2016 — and the Rangers’ Stadium Series games in Jan. 2014. ... The Sabres gave up a home game to be in this one since the Rangers are contractually obligated to play all their home games at Madison Square Garden for a tax exemption. ... Rangers coach Alain Vigneault earned his 635th win, breaking a tie with Darryl Sutter for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL’s all-time list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Chicago on Wednesday night

Sabres: At Minnesota on Thursday night in the fifth game of a stretch of seven straight away from Buffalo.

Rangers unveil 2018 Winter Classic uniform

The New York Rangers unveiled their uniform for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV). Their Original Six heritage, their 90-plus years of history in New York and the intrastate rivalry with the Sabres served as key influences in the design.

The jersey features the Rangers' color scheme of red, white and blue, though navy blue replaces their traditional royal blue as a nod to the roots of the game outdoors. The stairstep font is inspired by the diagonal "RANGERS" lettering worn in the late 1920s. The red "NY" is a tribute to the intrastate rivalry with the Sabres.

The uniform's nameplate and numbers are white and designed to align graphically to the crest. The sleeve and waist striping is inspired by New York's uniforms of the early 1930s, with the higher placement of the sleeve stripes and the solid white collar a staple of that era.

The pants remain red, but the detailing along the sides and around the leg opening is a simplified version of their current pant piping, reflecting the simpler design aesthetic of the jersey and socks.

The Sabres and Rangers will each play in the Winter Classic for the second time. Buffalo lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the inaugural event at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, 2008. The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2, 2012.

Sabres unveil 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic uniform

Our #WinterClassic jersey 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/eoAw5JQ9Po

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 22, 2017

By Sabres PR

The Buffalo Sabres today unveiled the team's uniform for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® outdoor regular-season game against the New York Rangers at Citi Field in New York on Jan. 1, 2018.

The uniform combines design concepts from the franchise's early years with modifications of the team's current logo and elements from the team's 40th anniversary jersey to create a unique look that recalls the Sabres' 48 years of history.

"The NHL Winter Classic is a celebration of hockey's rich history and we wanted our jersey to signify that with a tribute to the early days of Sabres hockey," Sabres President Russ Brandon said. "This uniform combines our franchise's great historical look with some new elements to celebrate the uniqueness of the event."

Buffalo will wear a primarily white jersey with blue and gold accents and a slightly modified version of the team's traditional crest, which features a charging buffalo between two crossed swords. In addition to minor illustration adjustments to the logo's buffalo and swords, the initials "NY" have been added as a marker of the interstate matchup. The crest itself is executed in felt and faux leather materials as a nod to historical "hockey sweater" material construction.

The shoulders and collar are contrasted in blue, which is in line with many of the team's past white uniforms, and the collar is executed in a modern adaptation of sweater knit rib material. The blue throughout the uniform has shifted from the Sabres' current navy blue to a royal blue reflective of the team's original color scheme from the 1970s. The jersey striping was inspired by the team's 40th anniversary uniform. However, when applied to the white body, each pair of blue stripes has a contrasting gold stripe between them instead of the white ground color.

The pants are also blue, matching those of classic Sabres uniforms, and feature a vertical gold stripe along the sides. The white accent pant stripe from previous uniforms has been removed to better align the color patterning to the jersey and sock color patterning.

In addition to the crest, the uniform features three secondary marks. The first is a newly designed shoulder patch that has abstracted the Buffalo from the crest and filled it with the team's name, and is executed in a throwback chenille material. The second is a pair of crossed swords, also abstracted from the crest. This mark, which appears on the pants, has featured on Buffalo's helmet in recent years. Lastly, the Buffalo script wordmark featured on the team's 40th anniversary jersey is located on the helmet.

The jersey's number design is derivative of the one worn on the team's 40th anniversary uniform. The numbers on the official game jerseys are executed in felt with unique tonal stitching detail, in homage to how numbers were applied in the early days of hockey. Nameplate letterforms were inspired by the ones the team wore on their uniforms in the mid-1970s.

The Sabres will face the Rangers in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® on New Year's Day at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. The game will be broadcast live on NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports at 1 p.m. ET. The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with this year's edition marking the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic® in Buffalo. Fans can join the conversation on social media by including the hashtag NHL #WinterClassic.

NHL Winter Classic to feature Rangers, Sabres at Citi Field

NEW YORK -- The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Buffalo Sabres® and New York Rangers® on Jan. 1, 2018 at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, the National Hockey League (NHL®) announced today. The New Year's Day game will be broadcast live on NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports at 1 p.m. ET.

"The Winter Classic made its debut under snowy Buffalo skies in 2008, and we look forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of that landmark event by matching the Sabres with their intrastate rivals, the New York Rangers, in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "With New York City as its host, the renewal of our New Year's tradition will continue to inspire hockey memories for our clubs, our players and our fans."

Both the Sabres and Rangers will be making their second appearance in the NHL Winter Classic®. Buffalo hosted the first-ever NHL Winter Classic® against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 2-1 shootout loss in front of 71,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, 2008. New York defeated the hometown Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park at the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® on Jan. 2, 2012, by a score of 3-2.

NEW YORK -- The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Buffalo Sabres® and New York Rangers® on Jan. 1, 2018 at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, the National Hockey League (NHL®) announced today. The New Year's Day game will be broadcast live on NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports at 1 p.m. ET.

"The Winter Classic made its debut under snowy Buffalo skies in 2008, and we look forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of that landmark event by matching the Sabres with their intrastate rivals, the New York Rangers, in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "With New York City as its host, the renewal of our New Year's tradition will continue to inspire hockey memories for our clubs, our players and our fans."

Both the Sabres and Rangers will be making their second appearance in the NHL Winter Classic®. Buffalo hosted the first-ever NHL Winter Classic® against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 2-1 shootout loss in front of 71,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1, 2008. New York defeated the hometown Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park at the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® on Jan. 2, 2012, by a score of 3-2.

Additional details on the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, including ticket information and other events surrounding the game, will be announced in the coming months. Updates also will be available on NHL.com/WinterClassic.

"After hosting the first NHL Winter Classic in 2008, we are happy to be able to celebrate the 10-year anniversary by playing in the 2018 game," said Sabres President Russ Brandon. "We look forward to participating in this marquee event and helping to promote the great game of hockey on such a large scale."

"The New York Rangers are honored to once again be a part of one of the NHL's signature events," said New York Rangers President Glen Sather. "The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic represents everything that is great about our game. Playing in the Winter Classic and Stadium Series in recent years was a tremendous experience for our organization and we look forward to yet another opportunity to celebrate the game of hockey, together with all our fans, in New York City."

The intrastate rivals have faced off in 177 regular-season games since the 1970-71 season, with the Sabres holding a 196-172 edge in points over the Rangers (BUF 81-62-34-196; NYR 71-76-30-172). In addition, the Sabres and Rangers have met twice in the Stanley Cup® Playoffs, with Buffalo winning both best-of-seven series, including their most recent matchup in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year. This year's edition will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic® and highlight top talent in the League from both teams. The Sabres top scorers from the 2016-17 season include forwards Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart. The Rangers counter with forward Mats Zuccarello, who led the club in scoring in 2016-17, 2017 NHL All-Star Ryan McDonagh and veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

"On New Year's Day we will once again take the game outside for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic," said NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr. "The Rangers and Sabres will showcase their incredible skill before tens of thousands of fans at Citi Field, and continue the great tradition of the Winter Classic."

Bridgestone, the Official Tire of the NHL® and NHLPA, returns as title sponsor for a ninth consecutive year. Over the past decade, the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® has become a tentpole hockey event on the North American sporting calendar. Five of the six most-watched NHL regular-season games in the U.S. since 1975 are Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® games. The company recently extended its partnership with the League through 2021.

"The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues to be the League's marquee outdoor game each season, as well as a centerpiece in our own strategic, season-long sports activation," said Phil Pacsi, Vice President of Sports/Events Marketing and Training at Bridgestone Americas. "Throughout our longstanding partnership, this special game has allowed Bridgestone to strengthen its relationship with the passionate, performance-minded hockey fans in North America and around the world, and it's a privilege to help celebrate its 10th anniversary."

Citi Field, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets, is a world-class venue that has hosted numerous marquee events, including the 2015 World Series, 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and sold out concerts by Beyoncé, Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney, and the Zac Brown Band. This summer, the Classic East - featuring the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac - will come to Citi Field, as will Lady Gaga.

"We are thrilled and excited to host the 2018 NHL Winter Classic between the Rangers and Sabres and thank Commissioner Bettman for his support in choosing Citi Field," said Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon. "We look forward to providing the hockey fans in our city and state a unique setting to experience this marquee match-up and adding it to the list of unique events we have been able to bring to the ballpark."

The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will be the sixth NHL Winter Classic® to be held in a baseball stadium, with the iconic New Year's Day game previously held at Wrigley Field in Chicago (2009), Fenway Park in Boston (2010), Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (2012), Nationals Park in Washington (2015) and Busch Stadium in St. Louis (2017).

NHL Network™ and NHL.com will provide extensive coverage live from the event leading up to and after the game. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms, including the use of the hashtag NHL #WinterClassic.

Blues top Blackhawks 4-1 in Busch Stadium Winter Classic

ST. LOUIS (AP) The Blues and Blackhawks took to the outdoors Monday, with Vladimir Tarasenko scoring twice in a 1:53 span of the third period and Jake Allen stopping 22 shots to lead St. Louis to a 4-1 victory over Chicago in the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium.

It was 46 degrees when play began before a sellout crowd of 46,556, the sixth largest for a Winter Classic. This was the 21st regular-season outdoor NHL game.

Bobby Hull and son Brett dropped the ceremonial first puck. Bobby wore a Blackhawks jersey and Brett wore the Blues sweater.

The Blues went ahead 2-1 when Tarasenko made a backhand pass that hit Niklas Hjalmarsson’s skate and slipped by goalie Corey Crawford at 12:05 of the third period. Tarasenko then scored on a wrist shot over Crawford’s shoulder at 13:58, giving him 18 goals this season. Robbi Fabbri assisted on both goals.

The Blues added an empty-net goal by Alexander Steen at 18:46.

St. Louis tied it 1-1 when Patrick Berglund scored at 7:45 of the second period. From behind the net, Jay Bouwmeester fed Berglund in the slot. Berglund one-timed the pass for his sixth goal this season. Steen got the second assist on the goal, the 300th of his career.

The Blackhawks scored 62 seconds into the game. Michal Kempny hit a slap shot from just inside the blue line that bounced and wobbled and went off the top of Blues goalie Jake Allen’s glove. Kempny got the puck on a pass from behind the net by Artemi Panarin.

It was Kempny’s second goal of the season. He did not score in his first 24 games without a goal. Now he has scored in his last two games.

Crawford, who faced 34 shots, made his best save when he denied Tarasenko on a breakaway three minutes into the third period. But then the St. Louis sniper struck twice to provide the winning margin.

St. Louis improved to 2-1-1 this season against Chicago.

The Blues are the 11th team to play in the annual Winter Classic. The Blackhawks are 0-3-0 in their Winter Classic after previous appearances in 2009 and 2015.

NOTES: The Winter Classic matchup at Busch Stadium was the fifth outdoor game for the Blackhawks since 2009. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook each played in the previous four, and Corey Crawford started the last three in goal. … Until Monday, the only Blues players to have played in an outdoor game were defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Jay Bouwmeester. … Chicago RW Marian Hossa is on the injured list with an upper-body injury and was not activated. … Chicago C Marcus Kruger has been placed on the injured list. … Blues RW Nail Yakupov was out because of illness.

UP NEXT:

Chicago: Will host Buffalo on Thursday.

St. Louis: Will host Carolina on Thursday.

Canadiens defeat Bruins in Winter Classic

"The Neutral Zone" Game Report

Paul Byron gave the Canadiens a two-goal lead early in the second
period.

(PHOTO: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Montreal Canadiens opened the new year with a bang at the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium after spiraling down the Atlantic Division standings in the final days of 2015.

The Canadiens got five goals from four players, six points from a top line that was together for the first time in 18 games, and 27 saves from goalie Mike Condon to defeat the Boston Bruins 5-1 at Gillette Stadium on Friday.

Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist in his first game since sustaining a hand injury Nov. 22. Linemates Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec each had two points, including a goal by Pacioretty.

Forward Paul Byron scored two goals and David Desharnais had one for the Canadiens (22-15-3), who moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division with the win. Montreal relinquished the top spot going 3-11-0 in December.

Forward Matt Beleskey scored and goalie Tuukka Rask made 25 saves for the Bruins (20-13-4), who were playing without injured center David Krejci and suspended left wing Brad Marchand. The Bruins' top-ranked power play went 0-for-3.

Gallagher officially back for Winter Classic

"The Neutral Zone" Roster Report

Brendan Gallagher

Montreal will indeed have the services of forward Brendan Gallagher for the Winter Classic.

Gallagher pronounced himself fit after taking part in practice at Gillette Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

"I'm proud to announce Brendan Gallagher will be playing in the Winter Classic," Montreal captain Max Pacioretty said at the start of his press conference.

Gallagher says he has received 100 percent clearance for the game and did not want to return for selfish reasons.

Gallagher has missed 17 games due to a hand injury suffered when blocking a shot. He had 19 points in 22 games prior to the injury.

Bruins' Marchand suspended 3 games, to miss Winter Classic

"The Neutral Zone" Suspension Report

Brad Marchand

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand was suspended three games without pay, including the Winter Classic, by the NHL on Wednesday for clipping Ottawa defenceman Mark Borowiecki.

Marchand upended Borowiecki away from the puck during the first period in Boston's 7-3 home victory Tuesday night. The 5-foot-9 Bruins forward swooped down and took out the 6-foot-2 Borowiecki at his knees. Borowiecki wasn't injured on the play

Marchand was punished as a repeat offender. He has previously been suspended three times and fined another during his career, including three lower-body infractions. One of those suspensions came after a similar hip check on Sami Salo in 2012.

The suspension will cost Marchand $164,634. He has 15 goals and 11 assists in 34 games this season.

The Bruins will face the Montreal Canadiens in the Winter Classic on Friday at Gillette Stadium.