The New Jersey Devils are 3-1-0 when Ondrej Palat records a point this season. After an abysmal start to the 2024-25 campaign, he’s started to pick up his game with three points in his last five games. From the eye test, it’s like night and day; he’s been stronger on the puck, limiting turnovers and getting to prime scoring areas frequently.
Palat’s Recent Surge
When Palat was elevated to the top line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, it was met with hefty criticism from the fanbase. It was somewhat warranted – it’s not typical that a player struggling as much as Palat was gets bumped up.
But in his prime, he wasn’t a play driver. He won two Stanley Cups playing on lines with superstars like Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov…and it worked because Palat did the dirty work as a defensively responsible and highly intelligent forward. He never was relied on for a ton of points – it was his play away from the puck that mattered.
The difference between Palat’s early play compared to lately is almost startling. In his first 11 games, he was last among Devils forwards with an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) of 35.70. Scoring chances were minus-15 and high-danger chances were minus-9. He was on the ice for just two goals for, but nine against (via Natural Stat Trick).
In his last five, it’s completely flipped. His xGF% has almost doubled to 62.41%. That puts him third among all Devils forwards in that stretch, just behind Bratt and Hughes. Scoring chances are plus-13, high-danger chances are plus-4, and the Devils have been scoring goals at a rate 340% higher (!!) when he’s on the ice.
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“(Palat’s) such a great teammate. He works really hard and creates a lot of space for me and Jack out there. He’s taking a lot of the job – sometimes a tough job – that fans and other people don’t notice on the ice, but it’s really important to create space for players like us,” Bratt told The Hockey Writers.
We like it. We like it Palat. pic.twitter.com/ANxLuynACC
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 8, 2024
For whatever reason, it took awhile for the 33-year-old Palat to settle into the game that he’s accustomed to, but the Devils are much better off as a result. It’s also not a fluke: last season, he led all Devils forwards with a 56.56 xGF%. He was a plus-4 on a team that got outscored by 19. Scoring attempts were plus-102 and high-danger chances were plus-39, all in favor of Palat. It flew mostly under the radar since the point totals weren’t there, and the Devils’ health and goaltending were rampant talking points.
“(Palat) is a really, really smart player to play with. He knows that me and Bratter want to play in the high ice and play with the puck where there’s space, and I think he does a really good job of complementing us and going to the net, and getting those greasy pucks in the corner and retrieving them for us,” Hughes told THW.
There will always be a stigma with Palat, given his $6 million contract that runs through 2026-27. That’s a different conversation, but the bottom line is that, contract aside, Palat could still be a very valuable asset to the Devils – he certainly showed that last night.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe was quick to praise the surging forward to THW: “You could rely on Ondrej Palat. He’s gonna give you everything that he’s got to dig in and make plays when they’re there, but play a good, hard and simple game at the same time. I like what he’s brought to that line, and it really allows Jack and Bratter to do everything.”
The Devils are 4-1-0 since Palat kicked his game into a different gear, and it’s no surprise that Hughes and Bratt have a combined 13 points in that span. If he’s able to maintain this level of consistency, the Devils will be much better overall.
