Help with destination selection

Hello! Me and my wife are traveling to the States from Finland next year around October to November as we celebrate my 30th birthday. As a stereotypical Finn with fondness to hockey, my dream has always been to witness an NHL game.

So basically the options lie more on the Northeastern area because of flight costs and other logistics. We're looking to stay around 7-10 days.

Atm options we have considered are Boston, Buffalo, New York and Detroit.

We like to explore places of cultural and historical significance and are looking for an option to spend 1-2 nights somewhere closer to nature away from bigger cities. Places such as Bar Harbor (yes I am also a fallout fan) or South Haven in Michigan.

We would really appreciate any tips or pointers on which places you would consider with these preferences in mind!