The Lightning announced Monday that they were postponing their preseason games against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday and the Predators on Thursday at Amalie Arena because of the potential effects of Hurricane Ian.
Tampa Bay also has temporarily moved its training camp to Nashville until further notice.
"Our organization did everything they could to provide the best hotels, food and everything for us and our families," Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. "Obviously, it's going to be tough on people who stay in Tampa. I hope they'll be safe, and the storm will pass, but it's not something we're used to. I hope people will stay safe and try to seal their houses."
The Lightning will play at the Hurricanes on Tuesday. They also play at the Predators on Friday.
"Everybody is trying to look after their families, everybody had to be brought here (including) pets," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It was like (team owner Jeff) Vinik's ark, bringing everybody here.
"It disrupts everything because now we're losing home games. Everything is on the road for us. We're scrambling to find ice, to find where we're going to put our players. It takes away from what you have going on. Plus, everybody is worried about their houses and what they have going on in Tampa. It plays a part. Our job is trying to get everybody focused on hockey, but you have to have a little compassion for these guys too, and what they're going through. So we've just got to fight through this."
Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for Florida on Saturday.
NHL.com independent correspondent Kurt Dusterberg contributed to this report
