Ondrej Palat (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Friday's tilt with the Devils, Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Palat (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Friday's tilt with the Devils, Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Analysis:

Palat is generally expected to play after he turned in a full practice Thursday, but the Lightning will wait and see how he performs during morning skate and pregame warmups Friday before reaching a conclusion on his status for the game. Jonathan Drouin has been the greatest beneficiary of Palat's four-game absence, as he's been seeing more frequent time with Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan on the Bolts' top line.