Ondrej Palat will return to the New Jersey Devils lineup on Monday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
The veteran has been sidelined for the past two games with an undisclosed injury. When he spoke to the media, head coach Sheldon Keefe talked about the leadership Palat brings to his group.
"When Palat speaks, guys listen," Keefe said to NJD.TV. "It helps settle the group down. He's played in high-stakes situations. He has played in every situation.
"There has been a void with our group the last couple of games without him," he continued. "On the ice, he does a lot of hard work, consistent effort, competitiveness. Palat is very consistent in that. To me, he drives our group in a lot of ways."
Palat skated with Dawson Mercer and Tomas Tatar during the team's morning skate.
The 33-year-old has appeared in 67 games this season and has 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists). It marks his second-best offensive season with the Devils since signing as a free agent on July 14, 2022.
The following lineup is expected to be utilized against the Canucks:
Erik Haula - Nico Hischier - Timo Meier
Stefan Noesen - Cody Glass - Jesper Bratt
Ondrej Palat - Dawson Mercer - Tomas Tatar
Nolan Foote - Justin Dowling - Paul Cotter
Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce
Brian Dumoulin - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon - Dennis Cholowski
Jacob Markstrom
Defenseman Simon Nemec and forwards Daniel Sprong, Nathan Bastian, and Curtis Lazar are projected to be out of the lineup.
Fans can watch Monday night's game on ESPN+ or Hulu or listen on the Devils Hockey Network. Puck drop will be at 7:30 p.m.
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