Why is Ondrej Palat not playing tonight? Reason for Devils F missing Sabres game revealed

The New Jersey Devils will be without Ondrej Palat tonight. In the second game of the International Series, the star forward will be inactive after playing and contributing to yesterday's season-opening victory. Palat is missing the game to be with his wife, who recently gave birth to their second child.

The Devils are in Prague for the season opener, while other teams are still in preseason mode. The NHL sent the Devils to play in Prague, much like the MLB sent the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to play in Korea over a week before the regular season began back in March.

The Devils, thanks in part to Palat, defeated the Buffalo Sabres in Game 1 by a score of 4-1. He had over 13 minutes on the ice and contributed one blocked shot and two hits.

---

Ondrej Palat reflects on returning home for the NHL series

Unfortunately for Czech fans, Ondrej Palat will not be on the ice for Game 2, as he is one of the few players from either team that has returned home for this contest. While the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils are in Prague, Palat will not be on the ice today.

Ondrej Palat is not playing tonight (Credits: Imagn)

Before the series, he said via NHL:

“It means a lot especially we won the World Championship here. All of Czech Republic was watching it. A bunch of kids experienced something like that for the first time, so they’re excited. They love hockey here.”

He was particularly excited about impacting the young fans that would come to the game. He added:

“For me, it’s special. Just to throw them a puck, give them a stick, sign an autograph or take a picture, it goes a long way. For us, it’s a little thing. For them it’s a great experience.”

This is something he recalls from his own childhood:

“I remember when I was a kid and someone threw me a puck, I was excited. And I had the puck above my bed. It’s just little things like that make it special for the kids."

It is just a two-game set, so the forward will not be able to play in Prague again unless the NHL sends the Devils to play a series there again.