Friday night's matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres has been postponed due to an impending winter storm, the NHL announced Wednesday.

The postponement comes ahead of a sweeping winter storm forecasted to hit parts of the United States and Canada, with some reports indicating a "historic" blizzard for the Chicago area.

The postponement of the game will result in the rescheduling of a second game. The Lightning and Sabres will now play on March 4 at 12:30 pm ET. The game originally scheduled for that date - the Sabres hosting the Philadelphia Flyers - will now be played on Jan. 9 at 7 pm ET.

Over 70 games were postponed in the 2021-22 season due to concerns over COVID-19, but postponements due to weather concerns are not common in the NHL.

There is the potential for more games to be affected by the storm.