The Winter Classic didn’t get off to a really rough start for the Buffalo Sabres. For the first 10 or so minutes of the game, the New York Rangers carried the play. A little over four minutes into the game the Rangers got on the board first thanks to a goal from Paul Carey. A bad turnover and lapse in defensive awareness allowed Carey to be alone in the slot and beat Robin Lehner.
Just over four minutes later the blue shirts added to their lead. Kevin Hayes made a nice spin pass that went behind Lehner and was finished off by Michael Grabner.