from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

The giddy beginning, that festival of goal scoring and statistic padding, is over.

It isn’t just that Auston Matthews has a bad shoulder. It isn’t just that William Nylander remains in Sweden, the stalemate in contract negotiations continuing.

There is a lot more wrong with the Maple Leafs right now – and that easy march to the post-season and into contention is on hold as rookie general manager Kyle Dubas, veteran coach Mike Babcock and a lineup that is supposed to have more than its showing has lost its way this early in a dream season suddenly going south.

It’s one thing to lose games. It’s another to lose them the way the Leafs are losing. It’s another to be beaten by system and effort and intensity in too many games at home. The Leafs have now won one of their past five games at the Scotiabank Arena. Maybe worse than that is this: Toronto scored just once in the 2-1 loss Thursday night against Dallas. After scoring one goal against Calgary. After scoring in one of three periods against Winnipeg at home. After scoring one goal against St. Louis. After being shut out against Pittsburgh.

That’s 15 home periods of hockey. Toronto goals in three of those periods.

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Below, highlights of Toronto's loss to the Dallas Stars.