Tampa Bay Lightning release 2018-19 preseason schedule
The Tampa Bay Lightning has announced their seven-game preseason schedule for the upcoming 2018-19 season.
The off-season is in full swing and the arduous wait for hockey to return is underway. Thankfully, the Tampa Bay Lightning offered up a little bit of information that will surely help you forget about the trials and tribulations of the off-season for a little bit.
Bright and early this morning, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced their preseason schedule for the upcoming 2018-19 season. The Lightning will come face-to-face with a familiar foe, an Eastern Conference rival, and a postseason contender over the course of these seven games.
The action will kick off on Tuesday, September 18, 2018, at the Amalie Arena right here in the heart of beautiful Downtown Tampa. The Bolts will take on Jordan Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bolts had some success against the Hurricanes last season, taking two of the three games these two teams played.
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From there, the Lightning moves on to the Nashville Predators. Things between these two teams were a little closer than their series last season against the Hurricanes. The Bolts and Preds split the series right down the middle, each taking one game.
Finally, the Lightning will finish off the preseason engaged in battle with their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers.
There’s never a dull moment when these two teams collide. Last season, the Lightning found quite a bit of success against the Panthers, defeating their in-state rivals three games to one to take the series.
As everyone here in the Bolts Nation struggles to find non-hockey related things to fill their time with during the off-season, let’s take a closer look at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s upcoming 2018-19 preseason schedule.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
| Tuesday, September 18 | Carolina Hurricanes | Amalie Arena | 7:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Sept. 19 | Carolina Hurricanes | PNC Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Friday, September 21 | Nashville Predators | Bridgestone Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 22 | Nashville Predators | Amalie Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, September 25 | Florida Panthers | Amalie Arena | 7:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, September 27 | Florida Panthers | Amway Center | 7:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 29 | Florida Panthers | BB&T Center | 7:00 p.m. |
The Tampa Bay Lightning has a lot to look forward to over the next couple of months. The Lightning has already started making moves towards putting together their team for next season with yesterday’s trade which sent goaltender Peter Budaj to the Los Angeles Kings. Given the number of players in need of new contracts this season, it’s almost a given this won’t be the last transaction the Lightning makes this off-season.
Last season, the Lightning played phenomenally throughout the regular season, holding on to the top spot in the Atlantic Division for most of the season. Unfortunately, they fell short in the Eastern Conference Final after being eliminated by the Washington Capitals in Game 7.
Next: Lightning Trade Peter Budaj to LA Kings
The Lightning needs to use the emotions that came from the unfortunate end to the season and use it as fuel for their fire in the upcoming season. Everyone knows what the Lightning is capable of and if they can refocus their efforts and come out strong, Lightning fans could be in for another long run from the Boys in Blue.