Predators Open Preseason at Lightning Amid Roster-Cut Deadline

The Nashville Predators open their preseason against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT. It is the first of four exhibition games on Nashville’s schedule.

Nashville hosts Tampa Bay on Tuesday, then plays a home-and-home series with Carolina on Thursday and Saturday. The Predators have 55 players in training camp and must reduce the roster to 23 by Sept. 28, ahead of their Oct. 1 regular-season opener. That is more than 30 decisions in nine days.

The condensed schedule gives coach Andrew Brunette fewer games to assess combinations. NHL rules limit veteran players to two preseason appearances. Brunette said Thursday that the shorter camp and required days off make urgency and competition especially important as the staff evaluates who is ready.

Forward Vitali Pinchuk is day to day with an upper-body injury sustained on the first day of camp practice, according to the club. Nashville says its preseason games will air regionally on The Spot, Nashville 28, with radio coverage on ESPN 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.