The Rangers originally had planned to play at Blaik Field at Michie Stadium on the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York[1] but were unable to come up with an agreement to use that facility in time.

Instead, the Rangers reportedly reached an agreement with Citi Field, home of the New York Mets baseball team, to host the event.

[3] League vice president Bill Daly argued that having two major outdoor games in the same facility so close together would have stretched the resources of Pegula Sports and Entertainment too thin, hence why New York City was chosen as the host site.

[5] On May 10, 2017, commissioner Gary Bettman officially announced that the 2018 Winter Classic would be played at Citi Field, and feature the New York Rangers against the Buffalo Sabres.

Buffalo's Sam Reinhart had a power play goal in the second period, and then Rasmus Ristolainen tied the game early in the third.

[12] Audience burnout, the Sabres' poor play (which drove ratings for the Sabres' regional telecasts for that season down 20 percent compared to the previous year),[13] competition from a strong slate of bowl games (including the UCF Knights football team's bid for a perfect season airing on the 2018 Peach Bowl opposite the Winter Classic), and fan hangover after the Buffalo Bills broke their 17-year playoff drought the previous day were cited as factors in the continued ratings decline.