Cirelli’s Return Having Impact Down the Lineup

Anthony Cirelli has been back in the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup four the last five games after missing the start of the year following off-season shoulder surgery. Cirelli’s return has had a profound impact on the Lightning lineup, particularly with the trickle down effect on the bottom six forwards.

In the past, Cirelli has found himself centering one of the Lightning’s top two lines. However, once he was ready to return this season, the Lightning’s top two lines were going pretty well and there was no reason to break them up. Cirelli slid into the third line center role and has provided significantly more balance to the Lightning’s bottom two lines.

Prior to his return, the Lightning found themselves becoming heavily dependent on the scoring from their top players. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov have had great seasons so far but the team certainly would like more than they were getting from the bottom six.

Since Cirelli has returned, Vlad Namestnikov and Pat Maroon have scored their first goals of the season, both of which were assisted by Cirelli. These were two guys in the bottom six that the Lightning were hoping to get a bit more out as far as offense was concerned and it is nice to see them on the scoresheet now.

Cirelli has never been particularly counted upon for offense. But since his return to the lineup, he has six assists in five four games. More importantly than the scoring, Cirelli is able to take some of the pressure off of the top lines as they may not need to pull quite as much weight if the bottom six is able to continue producing the way they have.

The bottom two line combinations have shuffled a bit over the last few games and will continue to over the course of the season. But one thing that is certain is you need contributions offensively throughout your lineup. Having Anthony Cirelli back, regardless of where he lines up, will certainly help provide the balance this team needs in order to do so.