Devils Lose to Leafs in OT in Keefe’s Return | GAME STORY

Here are some observations from the game:

• Devils captain Nico Hischier did it all for his team, as he always does. He scored team-leading goals 21 and 22 of the season, both on the power play. The first with a sick snipe from the near circle and the second in the third period while battling in the crease. He also drew the penalty on Oliver Ekman-Larsson that led to his first power-play goal. Start and finish.

Meanwhile, he also negated a Maple Leafs power play while working on the penalty kill. He stole a D-to-D pass on the blue line and went in for a breakaway, drawing a penalty that ended the Leafs power play and made it a 4-on-4 game. Not to mention, he went head-to-head all night with the dangerous Auston Matthews, keeping him in check at 5-on-5.

• Jack Hughes opened the scoring with his 18th goal of the season. He collected the puck right above the crease, all alone with his back to the goalie. Hughes gained possession, quickly pivoted his body to face the goal while pushing the puck toward the middle of the crease. That pushed goaltender Joseph Woll to his right to stay squared on the puck. Hughes then pulled the puck back into his body and on the backhand. Woll, having moved to his right, reached back with his pad and glove to the left to try and stop Hughes’ shot. Hughes perfectly squeezed the puck over the pad and under the glove and into the net for one of the nicest goals you’ll see all year.

• Hughes had a three-point night for the Devils with a goal and two assists.

• Hughes scored with a brilliant move on goal, but the play was set up by a great effort from defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic. The puck was ripped up the boards in the Maple Leafs zone. Kovacevic was standing at the point along with Steven Lorentz. When the puck arrived, Lorentz tried to deflect it out of the zone. But Kovacevic managed to knock the puck down and threw it toward the net, where Hughes was waiting to pounce.

The assist was Kovacevic’s 12th of the year, setting a new career high.

• If you want to know the type of player that defenseman Brett Pesce is, look at the play he made with two minutes remaining in the second period. An errant pass sailed to Toronto’s Pontus Holmberg all alone in the high slot. But as Holmberg was trying to pull the puck to his forehand, Pesce dove and managed to go stick-on-puck to knock the puck away from Holmberg and out of danger.

• The Devils are 21-0-1 when leading after two periods. Their lone loss was against Toronto back in December.