Best New York Sports Events To See During Christmas Season

If you happen to be a sports fan planning a trip to New York this holiday season, there won’t be any shortage of marquee events to check out while you’re here.

The NHL, NFL and NBA seasons will all be running together for the next several months. That gives you the opportunity to check out several sporting events at different venues throughout the month of December.

The Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and New York Jets are all among the NFL’s top teams through seven weeks. The NHL’s New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres and the NBA’s New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets recently started up their 2022-23 seasons. 

With all these sports in full swing, now is a good time to check out the many available New York Bets Apps and the welcome bonuses they’re offering. For example, FanDuel is offering new customers a risk-free wager of up to $1,000, and PointsBet is offering four risk-free bets of up to $200 each.

As Christmas draws closer, here is a look at some of the top sporting events to check out in New York throughout the holiday season.

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins (Dec. 18)

The Bills’ Week 6 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs was a statement to the rest of the AFC. Without a doubt, Josh Allen and company are the team to beat in the conference.

Buffalo entered the 2022 season as the favorites to win Super Bowl 57 at multiple sportsbooks and they’ve lived up to those sky-high expectations thus far. Allen looks like the MVP front-runner, and they boast the NFL’s No. 1 defense in terms of both yards and scoring through two weeks.

At this point, the Bills should cruise to a third straight AFC East division title. But their Week 15 home game against the Miami Dolphins could very well carry significant implications for both teams.

The Bills could still be in a tight race for the conference’s top seed here, and the Dolphins will likely be in contention for one of the three wild card spots. Miami already beat Buffalo back in Week 3, and a season series sweep could go a long way in boosting team morale ahead of a potential January run.

Needless to say, the atmosphere at Highmark Stadium will once again be rocking for this mid-December AFC East showdown. 

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Dec. 25)

The Knicks will once again be showcased in the NBA Christmas day slate of games.

The first game of Christmas Day 2022 will see Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers (12:00 p.m. EST). This will be the second of four regular season meetings between the Atlantic Division foes.

On Christmas Day 2021, the Knicks hosted and defeated the Atlanta Hawks 101-87, getting some nice revenge from their heartbreaking first round playoff elimination. 

The crowd at Madison Square Garden is always energetic and passionate, regardless of where the Knicks or New York Rangers are in the standings. If you’re in The Big Apple on Christmas Day, you may wish to spend the afternoon at MSG for the Knicks-76ers clash.

The 76ers have struggled to find their rhythm on offense in the early going. Will they have hit their stride by this point? Either way, Joel Embiid vs. a Thibodeau-coached defense promises to be entertaining Christmas Day theater.

New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Dec. 15)

Coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Final, the New York Rangers are widely expected to contend for the Stanley Cup again in 2022-23.

The team has struggled with consistency in the early going, but it’s far too early to get a good read on this team. Gerard Gallant’s squad will eventually round into form again and make a push for the Metropolitan Division.

Dec. 15 (7:00 p.m. EST) will be a marquee showdown between the Rangers and one of its Original Six rivals in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like New York, Toronto is among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup with a star-studded roster headlined by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.

This will be the first of three regular season meetings between the Leafs and Rangers. It’s definitely a must-see game for avid sports fans in New York during the Christmas season.