Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli will return to the lineup Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old exited Tuesday’s 6-2 win over Vegas after the second period. Cirelli scored twice before his night ended.

Anthony Cirelli scored twice, Nikita Kucherov had three points to tie Tampa Bay’s career scoring record, and the Lightning beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2.

The Golden Knights squandered scoring chances and committed costly turnovers in a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay. Mark Stone and coach Ryan Craig pointed to puck-management mistakes that allowed the Lightning to capitalize, while emphasizing that one October setback won't define Vegas' season.

Over the years, there have been a number of players to wear the number 71 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Anthony Cirelli has established himself as one of the Tampa Bay Lightning's most valuable players over the past few seasons due to his 200-foot game. He's one of the best defensive centers in the NHL, which earned him the honor of being named a finalist for the Selke Trophy for the second-straight season. Had he appeared in all 82 games this season, Cirelli likely would've built upon his career highs offensively as well.

Anthony Cirelli has once again earned recognition among the NHL’s elite defensive forwards.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki, Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson and Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli are the finalists for the NHL's best defensive forward award.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were doomed with an early second-period power play goal by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli as they took home the loss and ended the 2025-26 regular season with a 1-1-1 record against the Bolts.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Erik Karlsson did not try to sugarcoat his team's loss on Thursday to the Tampa Bay Lightning.