Cirelli scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 4-1 win over Winnipeg.
He made is 3-0 early in the second period on a redirection of a shot by Victor Hedman. It was Cirelli's 100th NHL goal. He remains on a career pace with 14 points in 15 games, but the goal was just his third of the season and first on the power play. Cirelli's 13.6 shooting percentage this season is right in line with his career average of 13.4, but he's passing a lot more than ever before. And he's well on his way toward smashing his career mark of 45 points set in 2023-24.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Grabs helper in loss
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Cirelli notched an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Blues.
Cirelli filled in as the top-line center with Brayden Point (lower body) unavailable Tuesday. It was in that role where Cirelli fed defenseman Nick Perbix for the game's opening goal at 2:39 of the second period. Cirelli is off to a great start with 13 points, 19 shots on net, 12 blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-3 rating over 13 contests. He's usually on the second line, but he's got strong enough two-way chops to move up when necessary.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Scores, assists in win Wednesday
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Cirelli recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Cirelli notched just his second goal of the season, but the center has been one of the team's best playmaking threats. Through 10 games, the 27-year-old has two goals and 10 helpers.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Four apples keep Devils away
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Cirelli had four assists in an 8-5 win over the Devils on Tuesday.
One came on the man advantage in the first period when Cirelli joined the top dogs on PP1. His other three came in the second period when he set up Brandon Hagel's natural hat trick. Cirelli sure made the most out of his 13:07 ice time Tuesday. His eight points (one goal, seven assists) overall in six games this season put him in a three-way tie with Victor Hedman and Brandon Hagel for second in team scoring. Yes, Cirelli is ahead of Jake Guentzel (seven points) and Brayden Point (six points)... for now.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Two-point night in loss
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Cirelli registered two assists Saturday in a 5-4 loss to the Senators.
Cirelli, who put up career marks in goals (20) and points (45) during the 2023-24 regular season, already has four points (one goal, three assists) in four outings. The steady, 27-year-old pivot is poised for a career year.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Two-point effort Tuesday
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Cirelli produced a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.
Both points came in the third period as the Lightning put the game away. Cirelli is centering the second line and has a spot on the second power-play unit to begin the campaign, and that assignment gives the 27-year-old an excellent chance of topping the career-high 20 goals and 45 points he delivered in 2023-24.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Scores Tampa Bay's lone goal
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Cirelli found the back of the net in Friday's 2-1 overtime exhibition loss to Carolina.
In addition to scoring, Cirelli registered a plus-1 rating in 22:17 of ice time, the most of any Lightning forward. The 27-year-old will slot in on the second line while receiving power-play time in the coming campaign. Cirelli set career highs in goals (20) and points (45) in 2023-24.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Practicing Friday
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Cirelli (rest) was at practice Friday, according to Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida.
Cirelli was given the night off Wednesday against Toronto, as the Lightning had already clinched their spot in the postseason. Cirelli hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career this season. He ended the season with 25 assists and 45 points in 79 appearances. Cirelli is expected to center the second line between Steven Stamkos and Brandon Hagel when the Lightning face the Panthers on Sunday in Game 1.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Won't play Wednesday
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Cirelli is not on the ice for warmups and won't play Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Cirelli missed a game earlier in April due to an upper-body injury, so it's possible the Lightning have decided to give him extra rest ahead of the playoffs. He is a key defensive center for the team, and there's no reason to think he'll miss Game 1 of the Lightning's first-round series versus the Panthers.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Scores game-winning goal
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Cirelli picked up a goal on three shots in a 5-2 victory over Columbus on Tuesday.
After missing Saturday's game with an upper-body injury, Cirelli returned to his regular spot on the second line centering Brandon Hagel and Steven Stamkos. Cirelli ended up scoring the game-winning goal and finished with three shots and a plus-3 rating in 16:28 of ice time. In his past five games, Cirelli has put up seven points - four goals and three assists - and the Lightning look to carry this momentum into the playoffs.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Back at it
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Cirelli (upper body) is on track to return to action against Columbus on Tuesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Cirelli is expected to return to a featured role following his one-game absence, skating on the second line and second power-play unit versus the Blue Jackets. He was on a roll prior to his brief absence, racking up four goals and seven points through his last six games.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Unavailable Saturday
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Cirelli (upper body) won't be in the lineup versus Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida.
Cirelli was injured Thursday in Montreal after picking up a pair of assists in a 7-4 win. Cirelli has 19 goals and 43 points in 75 contests this season. He will be replaced in the lineup by Conor Sheary.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Departs Thursday's game
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Cirelli (undisclosed) left Thursday's game late in the second period, and head coach Jon Cooper didn't have an update on the forward's status after the contest, per Bally Sports Florida.
Cooper said Cirelli got dinged up in the game and mentioned the forward's exit may have been more on the precautionary side. Cirelli's status for Saturday in Pittsburgh is up in the air, but there's no reason to think it's anything worse than day-to-day at this time. Cirelli had two assists Thursday and is now at 43 points through 75 outings overall.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Big game carries win
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Cirelli had two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Islanders on Saturday.
Cirelli's first goal at the 15:00 mark of the first period held up as the game-winner. He took a centering pass from Nick Perbix in front of the net and flicked it past Semyon Varlamov. Cirelli's second goal went into an empty net. He has four points, including three goals, in his last three games. He has 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) through 72 contests this season. He's a guy who is an effective on-ice player, but his fantasy worth is limited.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Scores in overtime
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Cirelli scored the overtime winner on two shots in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Ducks.
With the game locked up at 2-2 in the extra frame, Cirelli picked off an errant Ducks pass, skated the other way and finished the game on a give-and-go snap shot for the win. It was his fourth goal and fifth point in nine games during March. Cirelli's up to 16 goals, giving him a chance to reach 20 for the first time in his career.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Gets goal, but waiting on big step
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Cirelli scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens.
It was a beautiful goal. Cirelli was in the right place at the right time to take a backdoor pass from Brandon Hagel and wired it past Cayden Primeau from the bottom of the right circle. Cirelli has two points (one goal, one assist) on five shots in his last seven games. He still hasn't taken the big leap forward that many pundits predicted. There may be better value -- or a hotter play -- on the wire.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Continues hot play
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Cirelli had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Columbus on Saturday.
Cirelli scored under a minute into the second period to make it 2-0 by finishing with a backhand on a breakaway. The cerebral pivot has three goals and eight assists in his last nine games, which boosts his season output to 28 points through 52 outings. That puts Cirelli on pace for his third 40-plus point season of his career. Take advantage of this hot streak.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Helps out on power play
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Cirelli logged a power-play assist and four hits in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Islanders.
Cirelli has turned up the offense lately, earning two goals and seven assists over his last eight outings. The 26-year-old continues to play on the second line and second power-play unit. For the season, he has 26 points (five on the power play), 91 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, 33 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 51 outings as a solid two-way center. He's worth a look in fantasy when he's clicking on offense.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Big offensive outburst in win
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Cirelli had two goals and an assist in a 7-3 win over the Wild on Thursday.
Cirelli put the Bolts up 2-1 just 16 seconds into the second frame when he scored on the power play. It was his first snipe in 15 games dating back to Dec. 14. He scored again at 17:52 in the last frame. Cirelli's outburst snapped his six-game point slump, too. Overall, the defensive-minded pivot has 10 goals and 10 assists in 44 games. Those are numbers that have disappointed a lot of fantasy managers who saw his talent at the draft and take the leap. Now with the monkey off his back, Cirelli will hopefully continue to produce a little bit of scoring over the second half.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Better on ice than in fantasy arena
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Cirelli is in a five-game scoring drought.
He's put up eight goals and eight assists in 35 games, which is as steady as he's ever been, at least in terms of offense. Fantasy managers had hoped that Cirelli stepping into a second-line center role this season would elevate his offense, but that hasn't materialized. There's limited fantasy value in Cirelli's profile right now, but he serves a useful role on the ice for Tampa Bay.