Cirelli, who is on long-term IR, is expected to be out until late November. Returning to the ice was the first step in his return to the lineup. The next step will be ditching the non-contact jersey.
Cirelli missed Sunday's game in Florida but will be back in the Lightning lineup on Tuesday. Cirelli, who will be on a line with Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel, has just 10 points (3G / 7A) in his last 18 games.
After placing four players in protocol on Sunday, Cirelli and Andrej Sustr were added on Monday morning. Luckily for the Lightning, Brayden Point was back on the ice for practice and may return to the lineup to replace Cirelli on Tuesday.
Cirelli is not on the ice for warmups in Ottawa, so he will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury. Ross Colton will remain on the second line with Cirelli out.
Cirelli picked up an injury vs. the Canadiens on Tuesday and missed Thursday's morning skate. Head coach Jon Cooper called Cirelli a game-time decision and they will need him vs. the Maple Leafs.
Cirelli took a puck to the face on Tuesday and took Wednesday off but was back on the ice for Thursday's morning skate and will play in Philadelphia. Cirelli will wear a bubble and comes in with three goals and four assists (seven points) in his last seven games.
Cirelli has been out since February 11th with an upper-body injury but all signs are pointing towards him returning to the lineup on Saturday. Cirelli skated with Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos and took reps on the second power-play unit in the morning skate. He had four goals and six assists (10 points) in 12 games before getting hurt.
Cirelli left Thursday's game in Florida with an apparent arm injury. Head coach Jon Cooper said that he doesn't believe that Cirelli's injury is long-term but his status for Saturday's rematch remains unclear.
Cirelli is coming off of a really strong second season in the NHL, where he scored 16 goals and 28 assists (44 points) in 68 games. Cirelli had to take on a bigger role with Steven Stamkos injured for a good portion of the season and he flourished as the Lightning's No.2 centre. With Nikita Kucherov out for all of 2021, he will likely play the same role and Stamkos will shift over to the wing to fill-in for Kucherov. Cirelli's ceiling will be capped so long as he is playing with the likes of Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson and not the upper echelon of talent in Tampa Bay, but he's a player that should have a 20-goal, 30-assist pace in 2021's shortened season.
Cirelli blocked a shot from Evgeni Malkin on a late-first-period penalty kill and never returned. head coach Jon Cooper did not have an update post-game, so consider Cirelli day-to-day with a lower-body injury until they release more information.
Cirelli was listed as a game-time decision and is not on the ice for warmups. Carter Verhaeghe will replace him in the Lightning's lineup.
Cirelli was not on the ice for the Lightning's morning skate and head coach Jon Cooper called him a game-time decision. Monitor his status as the Lightning hit the ice for warmups at 7:00 pm.
