Lightning vs Predators Game Canceled With Hurricane Approaching

The NHL preseason is officially over after the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators cancelled their game this week.

Oct 10, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA;Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) shoots as Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) defends during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning have canceled Monday's preseason game against the Nashville Predators as the area prepares for Hurricane Milton this week, the team announced Sunday.

This game was originally scheduled for Sept. 27, but was postponed due to Hurricane Helene. That storm peaked as a Category 4 hurricane, but the Tampa Bay area avoided a direct hit. Milton, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, is headed straight for the middle of the state.

"The best thing I can say now is that Tampa Bay residents simply have to prepare for Milton as if the worst case will occur, and hope that it doesn’t. The probability of severe surge is high enough, and the consequences of not evacuating low-lying areas dire enough, that you just can’t afford to roll the dice on getting lucky again," wrote Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist for WeatherTiger.

With this cancellation, the NHL preseason has officially come to a close. The regular season is already under way thanks to the NHL Global Series in Prague between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres over the weekend, but the "true" start of the season is on Tuesday. As for Nashville and Tampa Bay, the former opens the season at home against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 10, while the latter faces the Carolina Hurricanes (ironically enough) on the road Friday.

These two teams played in Nashville on Sept. 28, with the Predators defending home ice with a dominant 6-0 win. Their regular-season matchups come on Oct. 28 in Tampa and on Nov. 29 (Black Friday) in Nashville.

Of course, the games between these two teams have more significance than ever before with longtime Lightning captain Steven Stamkos joining the Predators in free agency this offseason. Tampa Bay and Nashville have shared several players in recent years, but none more significant than Stamkos.

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