Buffalo Sabres May Play New York Rangers In 10th Anniversary Of Winter Classic

Rumor has it that the Buffalo Sabres will be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the outdoor game that spawned a cash cow for the NHL!

The 2017-18 NHL regular season continues to look like it will be one worth watching for fans of the Buffalo Sabres.

For starters, the Sabres already have two reasons for every fan to believe that the playoffs will make a return to the 716: their names are Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, and they just happen to be two of the more successful sophomores in the NHL this season.  Despite a disappointing 2016-17 campaign that saw the Sabres’ hopes of making the playoffs derailed in large part due to injuries to key players, Eichel and Reinhart defied the sophomore slump and have made significant strides in their development.  If they continue to grow, their third season could be the charm for Sabres fans who are itching to enjoy the postseason again.

In addition to the improvement of their two young studs, the Sabres have given fans reason to believe that the blueline might be getting an infusion of speed this offseason, as reports have the Sabres linked to KHL defenseman Viktor Antipin, a 24 year-old blueliner who earned the attention of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Chicago Blackhawks.  Antipin is the sort of mobile, puck-moving defenseman the Sabres desperately need, as they currently only have one guy, Rasmus Ristolainen, who is worth a damn on the offensive side of the ice.

And now we have this to look forward to:

That’s right: according to Arthur Staple over at Newsday.com,

"The Winter Classic will likely make its New York debut on New Year’s Day 2018, with an outdoor game at Citi Field between the Rangers and Buffalo Sabres close to being finalized, two sources confirmed to Newsday on Wednesday."

Due to the New York Rangers’ contract with Madison Square Garden, which requires the Rangers to play each and every home game at MSG, the Sabres will be designated the home team, while the Blueshirts will be the visitors.

New York Islanders’ fans are none too pleased that it will be the Sabres, not the Isles, playing at Citi Field – but come on.  The 2018 NHL WInter Classic will mark the 10th anniversary of the original Winter Classic, which was played between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins at was then known as Ralph Wilson Stadium.  The game was an instant classic – go figure –  and is the reason the NHL currently still runs the Winter Classic . . . and the Stadium Series . . . and the Heritage Classic . . . and the Centennial Classic.

(Yes yes yes: the NHL held outdoor games before the 2008 Winter Classic, such as the 2003 Heritage Classic – but come on.  It was the 2008 Winter Classic guaranteed that outdoor games would be an annual event in the NHL.)

So, sorry Isles fans!  Better luck next year.

Next: Sabres Look To KHL To Strengthen Blue Line

The 2016-17 season didn’t go exactly as the Buffalo Sabres and their fanbase planned, but that should not stop the fans from looking ahead to 2017-18 with genuine excitement.