A final pre-season game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators set for Monday was cancelled as the Tampa area prepares for Hurricane Milton, the teams announced on Sunday.
The game between the two teams was originally scheduled for Sep. 27 but was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Helene in Florida.
Hurricane Milton is an impending tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico. According to local authorities, it has been officially classified as a hurricane and is heading toward Florida’s west coast. It’s expected to arrive near Tampa on Wednesday as at least a Category 3 storm, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
An evacuation order is being planned right now for Florida. Florida Division of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie called it the largest evacuation since 2017 at a press conference with Governor Ron DeSantis.
On Sunday, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 of Florida’s 67 counties.
The Lightning are set to open the season at Carolina on Friday, Oct. 11, while the Predators start their campaign hosting the Stars on Thursday, Oct. 10.