Lightning preseason schedule released

The Lightning might be a little homesick from all the travel the team will do during the preseason.

Tampa Bay released its seven-game preseason schedule on Tuesday, which features one game on home ice and five west of the Mississippi River.

The schedule will open on Wednesday, Sept. 16 in Dallas against Brad Richards and the Stars at American Airlines Arena followed by the only home game on the schedule on Sept. 18 against division-rival Atlanta.

Beginning on Sept. 21, the Lightning will play four games in four nights on the West Coast starting against Ottawa in Regina, Saskatchewan. Tampa Bay will then travel to Everett, Wash, to face Phoenix before facing the Coyotes again the next night in Loveland, Colo. The Lightning will close out the four-game swing against Edmonton in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Sept. 24.

This marks the first time Tampa Bay will have played games in all four neutral site venues, and the first neutral site game since the Lightning faced the Buffalo Sabres in Kitchener, Ont., on Sept. 30, 2003.

Tampa Bay will close out the preseason schedule on Sept. 27 in Atlanta.

An announcement on when tickets will go on sale for the home preseason game against Atlanta will be made at a later date.

All the preseason games are scheduled to be broadcast on the Lightning radio network, with WDAE, 620 as the flagship station in Tampa.

The league will release the regular season schedule, which will once again feature a two-week break during February to allow the players to participate in the Olympics, on July 15.

Lightning Preseason Schedule

Wed., Sept. 16 8:30 p.m. at Dallas
Fri., Sept. 18 7:30 p.m. Atlanta St. Pete Times Forum
Mon., Sept. 21 9 p.m. Ottawa Regina, SK
Tues., Sept. 22 10:30 p.m. Phoenix Everett, WA
Wed., Sept. 23 9 p.m. Phoenix Loveland, CO
Thur., Sept. 24 8:30 p.m. Edmonton Winnipeg, MB
Sun., Sept. 27 5 p.m. at Atlanta