Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli Exits With Undisclosed Injury

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli exited the team’s Tuesday night win over the Vegas Golden Knights after the second period per Jesse Granger of The Athletic. It was not clear when Cirelli sustained his injury. He was notably absent from a video of the team walking off of the bench after the win, posted to the team’s social media accounts. The 29 year old scored two goals in Tampa Bay’s six-goal effort before ending up on the sidelines.

Tampa Bay was already operating with 11 forwards and seven defensemen prior to Cirelli’s injury. His absence pushed extra minutes onto centers Brayden Point, Zemgus Girgensons, and Conor Geekie. The trio saw Tampa Bay’s win through, though the team’s only third period goal came on a Nikita Kucherov breakaway.

The Lightning are currently carrying extra forwards Dominic James and Scott Sabourin. Of the two, the speedy James would be likeliest to see a bump into the lineup. The 24 year old has stepped into two games with Tampa Bay this season, recording one assist and one penalty. He also appeared in two AHL games to start the season, with no scoring. James notched 15 points in 43 games of his rookie NHL season last year. He stood out as a versatile playmaker. Should the Lightning prefer a physical impact instead, they could turn to Sabourin, who recorded 63 hits in just 26 games last season.

Neither forward will make up for the top-end impact Cirelli has brought for years. He has five points through nine games this season. Last year marked Cirelli’s second 50-point season, though he fell seven points shy of his career-high 59 points set in the 2024-25 season. He has averaged 18 minutes of ice time dating back to 2019 – while pacing for 66 shot blocks and 68 hits per 82 games played. Tampa Bay will need to find an answer for their second-line center role with Cirelli on the sideline.