Lightnings’ Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak Out With Injuries

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a bit bruised up in their contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening. Before the puck dropped, the Lightning announced that forward Anthony Cirelli (lower-body) and defenseman Erik Černák (upper-body) are absent with injuries. Each player is considered day-to-day.

Tampa Bay is also without forward Yanni Gourde, although it was expected. Gourde is only a few days removed from returning from offseason hip surgery, so tonight was a scheduled “planned maintenance”, according to the Bolts.

Cirelli’s offense has already been missed. Through the second period, the Lightning have scored only one goal on 22 shots. Once viewed as a potential trade candidate due to the combination of his relatively high salary, middling production, and Tampa Bay’s constant need for cap space, Cirelli has become a foundational part of the Lightning’s offense.

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Lightning signed Cirelli to an eight-year, $50MM ($6.25MM AAV) extension. However, in the last year of his previous deal and the first of his extension, Cirelli scored only 31 goals and 74 points in 137 games; not quite what Tampa Bay had in mind. Still, he’s completely turned things around, registering 55 goals and 125 points in 169 games since the 2024-25 campaign. He’s also become one of the NHL’s better defensive forwards, finishing top three in Selke Trophy voting in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Meanwhile, the Bolts are also without Černák. In his first 17 games this season, the Kosice, Slovakia, native has registered seven assists with a +11 rating, while averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. Although he doesn’t rack up a ton of points, Černák is one of the NHL’s most underrated defensemen, as he’s averaged a 91.1% on-ice SV% at even strength through 519 career games.