JT
Miller scored a power-play goal with 2:17 remaining in overtime to lift
the New York Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL
Winter Classic on Monday afternoon at Citi Field in New York.
Paul
Carey and Michael Grabner each scored during regulation for the Rangers.
New York (21-13-5) notched at least one point for the third game in a
row and the seventh time in the past eight contests.
Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen scored for Buffalo (10-20-9).
Rangers
goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots to improve to 18-9-4.
Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner made 39 saves but fell to 9-14-6.
Miller
stood in front of the crease and punched in the game-winner for his
eighth goal of the season. A tripping penalty by Sabres centre Jacob
Josefson set up the 4-on-3 man advantage for New York.
The teams
played under clear skies with occasional sunshine and temperatures in
the teens. The wind chill dipped to single digits at the stadium, which
is home to the New York Mets. New York opened the scoring 4:09 into the
first period on a wrist shot by Carey. The shot marked the Boston
College product’s fifth goal of the season and his third in the past six
games.
Less than five minutes later, Grabner increased New York’s lead to 2-0 with his team-leading 18th goal.
Buffalo
trimmed the deficit to 2-1 on the power play in the first minute of the
second period. Reinhart beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot for his sixth
goal of the season and his first since Nov 22.
The Sabres evened the score at 2 on a long wrist shot by Ristolainen only 27 seconds into the third period.
The
game marked the 10th anniversary of the NHL Winter Classic, which
debuted Jan. 1, 2008, at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium. The lone player
on the Sabres’ current roster who played in the inaugural New Year’s
Day event is 35-year-old right winger Jason Pominville, now in his 14th
season.
Six baseball stadiums and four football stadiums have hosted
the 10 Winter Classic. Next year’s game will feature the Boston Bruins
and Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
JT Miller of the New York Rangers celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres with teammate Mats Zuccarello during the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field in the Flushing neighbourhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)