Jason Spezza did not take part in the Dallas Stars contest against the Boston Bruins on Monday, sitting out as a healthy scratch.

The team made the announcement on Twitter, calling it a "coach's decision."

The 34-year-old has five goals and 16 points in 44 contests with the Stars this season. He is without a point in his past five games.

Stars general manager Jim Nill said Monday he expects Spezza to return to the team's lineup on Tuesday.

"Like I said I think he knows he can be better too and we need more from him," Nill told Scott Burnside of the team's website. "I think we got a really good thing going here and he’s a big part of it, he’s one of our leaders and we want him at his best."

Spezza is in fourth season with the Stars and third year of a four-year, $30 million contract signed with the team in Nov. 2014. He carries a $7.5 million cap hit, the second highest number of any Stars player behind only Jamie Benn.

A veteran of 955 NHL games, Spezza has 321 goals and 878 points in his career.