Palat was a late scratch for Wednesday's game against the Capitals, with the team only announcing his absence about 30 minutes before puck drop. Palat has five goals and nine assists in 35 games this season. His next chance to return to the lineup will be on Friday when New Jersey hosts the Blackhawks.
Palat has not played since Oct. 24th due to a groin injury but will return to the Devils' lineup Thursday as they take on the Blues. Prior to his injury, the 31-year-old had three goals, eight SOG and a -1 plus/minus rating.
Palat undergoing groin surgery is a tough loss for the Devils after it was announced he would be out 8-10 weeks due to recovery. Since being acquired in the offseason by the Devils, the 31-year-old had three goals off eight shots in six games played while averaging 18:43 ATOI.
Palat suffered a groin injury vs. the Capitals last Monday and will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery. The Devils are expected to provide a more detailed timeline at a later date.
Palat has been placed on the injured reserve retroactively to October 24th. The team will make a decision Monday on his next course of action.
Palat spent the first 10 years of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning after being a seventh-round pick in 2011. Palat is a good complimentary top-6 winger that can play with either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier in New Jersey. Over the last three seasons, he's averaged 20 goals and 35 assists (55 points) per 82 games.
Palat missed the last five games with a lower-body injury but will be back in the lineup when the Lighting host the Devils on Thursday. This is good timing for the Lightning, as they will be without Nikita Kucherov, who was added to the COVID-19 protocol list on Tuesday.
Palat was held out of part of Tuesday's win in Buffalo and will not play Thursday vs. the Canucks. With Palat out, Mathieu Joseph skated on the top line in the morning skate.
Palat was forced to leave Thursday's game vs. the Coyotes after being on the receiving end of a knee from Taylor Hall. Palat did not return to the game and is questionable to play in their back-to-back over the weekend.
Palat has been out since October 26th but will draw back into the lineup vs. the Sabres. Palat is expected to be back on the fourth line and on the second power-play unit in his return. He has five assists in nine games this season.
Palat was on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate, but will miss his 14th consecutive game. Palat is nearing a return, so monitor his status heading into Friday’s game vs. the Blackhawks.
The Lightning announced on Wednesday that Palat is not progressing like they hoped and announced this morning that he will be shutdown for four weeks. With Palat out, J.T. Miller is expected to remain in the Lightning’s top-6 through November and into December.
Lightning’s head coach said that Palat is not “progressing the way wen liked so we shut him down here for a little bit.” Palat was originally expected to be back before Victor Hedman, but it sounds like the opposite will end up coming true.
