DETROIT — The Lightning game against the Sabres scheduled for Friday in Buffalo has been postponed due to the approaching winter storm. The storm is anticipated to hit western New York with lake-effect snow, 6 mph gusts and wind chill as low as minus-20 degrees.

After Wednesday’s game against the Red Wings, the Lightning will return home to Tampa instead of continuing on to Buffalo, ensuring the team won’t get stuck in Buffalo entering the Christmas break.

The teams will make up the game on March 4, a previously open date a day before the Lightning play the Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina. Puck drop will be at 12:30 p.m.

Dealing with winter storms is routine, and in deciding whether to play game, the league’s standard operating procedure is to follow the lead of local authorities. They have been bracing for a powerful system bearing down on the Buffalo area creating localized blizzard conditions.

The National Weather Service issued a statement Wednesday afternoon advising those in Buffalo to avoid travel because of “dangerous or impossible driving conditions” the storm is expected to cause.

With few off days, rescheduling games is difficult. So, if both teams and the referees are in town, they try to play, NHL spokesperson John Dellapina said Wednesday. But the safety of the fans is the league’s top priority.

With conditions predicted to deteriorate Friday morning, a decision had to be made about whether the Lightning would fly to Buffalo from Detroit…