TORONTO, Ont. - The Devils have only lost twice this season when leading after two periods (21-0-2). And both of those losses are to the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, including a 4-3 setback at Scotiebank Arena Thursday night.
The Devils carried a 2-1 lead into the third period before Auston Matthews scored twice, including the tying goal with 4:15 remaining to force overtime. William Nylander also scored twice for Toronto, including the overtime winner.
Captain Nico Hischier scored twice, both on the power play, while Jack Hughes added a goal.
"There were lots of positives," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "We're on the road playing against a good team. And we led for most of the hockey game. Our captain camp up big with some big goals. Our power play comes through for us. There's lots of good things.
"It's another good hard road point for our guys against a good team."
The Devils have played extra time in their last four straight games, going 1-0-3.
"Overtime is all about puck possession," Hischier said. "You can't make a mistake. You have to be extra detailed. There's not a lot of guys that can correct it on the ice. Now we have to move on, but we have to look at this again, work on it and be more detailed."
The game marked the first time Keefe,who coached the Maple Leafs from 2019-24, was back in Toronto against his former club.
"It was a great day to see a lot of people. Once the puck dropped I forgot where I was," Keefe said. "You're coaching hockey. You're in the moment."
"We wanted that win for (Keefe)," Hischier said. "He prepared us really well for coming in here. We know how long he was here. Unfortunately, we didn't get the result we wanted, but the guys definitely wanted to win for him."