

On March 15, 2017, Arthur Staple of Newsday reported that the game had been awarded to the New York Rangers.

It was the Rangers' fourth outdoor game, having also appeared in the 2014 Stadium Series.

The 2018 game marked the second Winter Classic for each team, following the Rangers' appearance in the 2012 event and the Sabres' in 2008. The game marked the 10th anniversary of the Winter Classic. The tenth edition of the Winter Classic, the game matched the Buffalo Sabres against the New York Rangers the Rangers won, 3–2, on an overtime goal by J. The 2018 NHL Winter Classic (officially the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2018, at Citi Field in the New York City borough of Queens.
