Anthony Cirelli’s consistency more important to Lightning than ever

TAMPA — Consistency is the best part of Anthony Cirelli’s game. The Lightning forward is thorough in his preparation, and it shows in his play.

“He is the same every game,” assistant coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s the same work ethic, the same detail, and I think it leads to his success.”

That hasn’t changed with star forwards Nikita Kucherov (lower-body injury) and Brayden Point (upper-body injury) out of the lineup until at least mid-December. Though Cirelli has moved from right wing on the top line to centering the second line between Mathieu Joseph and Alex Killorn, the Lightning aren’t looking for him to change his game.

They just depend on it now more than ever.

“You never know how much you really love having those guys around until they’re gone,” head coach Jon Cooper said. “We’re really leaning on (Cirelli) now, especially with the guys we have out. We need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Cirelli isn’t known for his scoring, but his 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 18 games this season rank fourth on the team among active players, behind Steven Stamkos (22), Alex Killorn (17) and Victor Hedman (17).

His offensive production derives from his conscientious play at both ends of the ice. Even wearing a full face shield, he battles for pucks in the corners and fights for positioning in front of the opposing net.

Cirelli took a puck to the face during a victory over the Islanders on Nov. 15, breaking his nose. He was back in the lineup three days later. Three days after that, he scored two goals in a 5-4 win over the Wild.

“Tony’s that guy that always errs on playing the right way first, and then his offense comes from that,” Lalonde said. “And that’s why I think we’ve had so much success, he’s had so much success, because he does things right.”

Lalonde would know. He has worked closely with Cirelli since his debut in 2018. The two often review video together, looking for things that work and areas for improvement.

Cirelli, who already logs “hard minutes” on the power play and penalty kill, according to teammate Alex Killorn, said he is willing to fill any role the team needs. But he doesn’t think that means changing the way he plays.

“You’re a little more supporting and coming up with speed (at center),” Cirelli said. “Maybe the confidence thing — it’s always nice when you’re scoring goals. But as long as the team’s rolling and everyone’s contributing, I think it’s good for us.”

When veteran forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare looks at Cirelli’s game, he’s reminded of his two seasons in Las Vegas, where he played with William Karlsson.

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“We talk a lot about (Cirelli’s) offensive game, but his underrated part is the defensive game,” Bellemare said. “He kills the play really fast, and he’s out of the zone super fast. He’s got sneaky speed, and right now he’s got a visor on and he has his nose on top of that blue paint every time.

“There’s a lot of respect when you play that way. You’re going to earn respect from all of the league, and for us, he’s been huge.”

Count Cooper among those who respect Cirelli’s game. The coach marvels at Cirelli’s ability to avoid major mistakes while always seeming to contribute to big plays when his team needs them most.

They’ll need more of them with Kucherov and Point out of the lineup.

“Too many players take Tony for granted,” Cooper said. “He goes under the radar because he plays the right way all of the time. It’s just a given with him.”

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.

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