So the Maple Leafs certainly appear to be in a mini-rut. Or, at the very least, they might be heading into one, as they get set to face St. Louis on Thursday.



Allowing five goals in the first period in your most recent game has a way of creating such concerns, real or imagined.



After a 10-2-1 run rocketed the Leafs into a home-ice advantage spot for the first round of the playoffs two weeks ago, they have only two wins in their last six games. They’ve sandwiched two solid 4-0 wins over Detroit and Calgary between ugly outings against the Rangers, Flyers and Stars.



The one constant of late, however, has been the absence of Morgan Rielly, who was logging 23-plus minutes a game before going down with an ankle injury.



Which makes one wonder: Is that what’s to blame for the end of their hot streak?



If we include their game against Buffalo, where Rielly was injured early and played under...