Only one player on Buffalo’s current roster played in the inaugural Winter Classic: forward Jason Pominville, who logged 20:51 and recorded four shots on goal. Defenseman Brian Campbell scored the lone goal for the Sabres, with Ryan Miller making 24 saves in defeat. Current Rangers assistant coach Lindy Ruff served as Buffalo’s head coach for the game.

The nine prior Winter Classic have drawn total attendance of 527,350, an average of 58,594 per game. They have been staged in five baseball stadiums (Busch Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Fenway Park, Nationals Park, Wrigley Field) and four football stadiums (Heinz Field, Gillette Stadium, Michigan Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium).

INSIDE THE SABRES-RANGERS RIVALRY

The Sabres and Rangers have faced off 177 times during the regular season since Buffalo entered the NHL as an expansion franchise in 1970-71. The Sabres hold an 81-71 advantage in wins and 196-172 edge in points (BUF: 81-62-34, NYR: 71-76-30). The Rangers, however, have won 14 of their last 19 meetings dating to Dec. 10, 2011 (BUF: 5-10-4), including nine straight victories (all in regulation) from April 19, 2013 – March 8, 2016.

The 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic marks the first of three games between the Sabres and Rangers in 2017-18. They also will meet Jan. 18 and March 24, both at Madison Square Garden.

The Sabres and Rangers have faced each other twice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Buffalo winning each series. The Sabres won 2-1 in the 1978 Preliminary Round and 4-2 in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Even at two games apiece in 2007, Chris Drury scored the tying goal at 19:52 of the third period and Maxim Afinogenov potted the winner at 4:39 of overtime to lift Buffalo to a Game 5 victory en route to a six-game series win.

OUTDOOR NHL GAME EXPERIENCE

Players from both the Sabres and Rangers have prior outdoor game experience.

Nine Sabres, including Pominville, have participated in a regular-season outdoor NHL game. Pominville (1-2—3 in 2 GP) and forward Benoit Pouliot (1-2—3 in 4 GP) share the team lead with three points apiece in such contests. Pouliot can tie an NHL record at Citi Field by appearing in his fifth outdoor game.

Thirteen Rangers, including head coach Alain Vigneault, have taken part in a regular-season outdoor NHL game. Forward Mats Zuccarello paces the team with 2-1—3 in two such outings. Henrik Lundqvist (3-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .933 SV%) is the only goaltender in League history with three wins in outdoor games.

The Sabres will be making their second appearance in a regular-season outdoor game, following the 2008 Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic. The Rangers (3-0-0) will be playing in their fourth such contest and second Winter Classic (also 2012 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia). They are the only NHL team with three wins outdoors.

OUTDOOR NHL GAME NOTES

* There have been 23 total regular-season outdoor NHL games to date: nine Winter Classics, eight Stadium Series, four Heritage Classics, one Centennial Classic and one NHL100 Classic.

* Thirteen outdoor games have taken place at football venues, nine have been hosted by baseball parks and one has been staged in a soccer stadium.

* The NHL’s 23 regular-season outdoor games have drawn total attendance of 1,242,276 – an average of 54,012 per game. NHL outdoor attendance surpassed the 1-million mark at the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Seriesbetween the Avalanche and Red Wings at Coors Field in Denver on Feb. 27, 2016.

* A total of 675 players and head coaches have participated in the NHL’s 23 regular-season outdoor games to date.

WINTER CLASSIC UNIFORMS

Buffalo Sabres

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

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Goaltender Equipment: Robin Lehner / Chad Johnson

New York Rangers

The Rangers’ Original Six heritage, 90-plus years of history in New York and intrastate rivalry with the Sabres are key influences in the design of their uniforms for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. 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.

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Goaltender Equipment: Henrik Lundqvist / Ondrej Pavelec / Video

WINTER CLASSIC ENTERTAINMENT

Grammy-nominated band Goo Goo Dolls will headline the entertainment for the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic with a performance during the first intermission. Formed in Buffalo and longtime Sabres fans, the Goo Goo Dolls have sold more than 10 million albums since the band’s inception in 1986.

Max Weinberg and Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, the quartet helmed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer and driving rhythmic force of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for 43 years, will serve as the house band for the Winter Classic, performing throughout the game.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist of KISS, will perform the hit song “New York Groove” before the Sabres and Rangers take to the ice. Frehley’s rendition is played at Citi Field following every New York Mets home win.

The pregame festivities also will include a color guard featuring members of the NYPD/FDNY Ceremonial Units. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Winter Classic, “The Star-Spangled Banner” will be performed by the New York City-based Every Voice Choirs, featuring children born in the year of the first Winter Classic (2008).

During the performance of the U.S. national anthem, Challenger the Bald Eagle will take flight in Citi Field. The pregame festivities will conclude with a flyover featuring four F-15 aircrafts flown by the 334th Fighter Squadron from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C.