Tickets to both of Tampa Bay’s preseason games - Sept. 22 vs. Pittsburgh and Sept. 23 vs. NY Rangers - will go on sale Monday, August 11 beginning at 10 a.m. Tampa Bay is scheduled to play five preseason games before opening the season Oct. 4 in Prague, Czech Republic, against the New York Rangers. As of now, the Lightning are scheduled to play one preseason game in Europe on Sept. 28 in Berlin, Germany, but there is word that they may be working on adding a second game to the preseason schedule while in Europe, likely to be played on Sept. 30. The contract is believed to still be in the works with a yet undisclosed opponent from one of Europe’s other top leagues, likely either from the Czech Republic or possibly Slovakia.

Here is the release from the team in regards to the home preseason games:

Individual tickets Tampa Bay Lightning’s two preseason home games – Monday, September 22 vs. Pittsburgh and Tuesday, September 23 vs. the New York Rangers - will go on sale Monday, August 11 at 10 a.m. Priority seating for the Lightning’s 2008-09 regular season games is available now through full-season, half-season and 10-game plans. Individual game tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Tampa Bay opens its preseason on Saturday, September 20 when the Lightning travel to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team’s final North American preseason game will take place on Thursday, September 25 at the New York Rangers. The Lightning will then travel to Europe and face Eisbaren Berlin on Sunday, September 28 in another preseason tune-up before opening the regular season with a two-game series against the Rangers in Prague, Czech Republic on October 4-5.

Tickets can be purchased at the McDonald’s Box Office at the St. Pete Times Forum and all Ticketmaster outlets. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100. Also, fans can go online to tampabaylightning.com.