Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli out for Saturday’s game against Capitals

One of the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s key players is going to miss at least one game.

When speaking to the media, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper revealed that forward Anthony Cirelli will not be in the lineup when the team takes on the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

Cooper remained optimistic about Cirelli’s condition, stating that he could return to action in Tampa’s next game, scheduled for Wednesday night, against the New York Rangers.

Cirelli is suffering from an upper-body injury that occurred this past Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 28-year-old exited the contest during the second period after registering just 8:54 of ice time across 12 shifts. Tampa still went on to beat the Pacific Division power by a final score of 6-3.

With Cirelli out, expect to see Dominic James jump up to the second-line center role between Brandon Hagel and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

The Etobicoke, Ont. native has had a solid start to the 2025-26 season. In appearing in each of the Bolts’ first 14 games, he has scored seven goals and four assists for 11 points, tying him for fourth on the team in scoring with captain Victor Hedman, three points behind Nikita Kucherov. Cirelli had scored back-to-back goals last week, including notching the overtime winner against the Dallas Stars last Thursday.

Cirelli entered the new year coming off the best season of his NHL career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion set career highs in goals (27), assists (32), and points (59) during the 2024-25 campaign, marking the first time he’s hit the 50-point mark in his first seven full seasons in the NHL.

Puck drop between the Lightning (7-5-2) and the Capitals (7-5-1) is set for 7 p.m. ET.