Devils’ Sheldon Keefe Handed First Loss Of The Season By Maple Leafs

Ahead of facing his former team, New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe did not know how emotional facing the Toronto Maple Leafs would be.

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“I don’t know,” he said on Tuesday. “I’ve never coached against a team that I have been associated with in the past. I have never experienced that, so we will see how it goes.”

It was already a big night for Keefe, as he was formally introduced as the Devils’ head coach for the first time.

A crowd of 16,764 fans cheered as public address announcer Adam Hamway announced Keefe’s name, and who could blame them?

He led his team to a perfect 2-0 sweep at the 2024 NHL Global Series.

He oversaw his team limit their opponent to only one goal per game, blocking a combined 40 shots in front of their goaltenders.

On Thursday night, at Prudential Center, Keefe stood behind the bench in a grey suit with a familiar stoic expression.

That stoic expression remained as he saw his team fall behind 3-0 fifteen minutes after the puck dropped. The Devils eventually got goals from Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, but Keefe’s former team ultimately handed him a 4-2 loss, his first of the season.

“Puck play not nearly good enough and defending not even close or hard enough,” Keefe said after the game.

His team blocked 11 shots compared to Toronto’s 27, with half of them credited to defenseman Dougie Hamilton (6). New Jersey’s defensemen collectively gave the puck away 11 times.

With the game over, Keefe was again asked if it was emotional standing behind New Jersey’s bench.

“No emotions for me,” he said.

He will focus on getting his team back on track before the Washington Capitals game on Saturday, Oct. 12.

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