The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to lose out on a preseason contest.
With Hurricane Matthew expected to make landfall on the eastern side of Florida on Friday, and with Broward County under a hurricane warning, the Florida Panthers have canceled their Thursday night preseason head-to-head with the rival Lightning, executive chairman of Sunrise Sports and Entertainment, Peter Luukko, said in a statement.
"While we are disappointed to announce the postponement of any event at the BB&T Center, the safety of our fans, staff and the people of South Florida is always our top priority,” noted Luukko.
Forecasters have predicted that Matthew, which has already made its way through the Caribbean with devastating effects, will strengthen to a category four storm by the time it hits Florida.
This was the obvious right call given how dangerous this storm has been, and doubly so with the way they expect the storm to strengthen on its way to Florida, but it does create a weird conundrum of sorts when it comes to doling out some needed game reps for some of Tampa Bay’s 2016 hopefuls such as prospect Brayden Point, who has two goals in three games, and their regulars, too.
The Lightning will finish their preseason slate with a Saturday exhibition against the Nashville Predators at Amalie Arena.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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