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I have returned from a vacation to find the Maple Leafs in a late season death spiral and Leaf Nation in panic mode. The Leafs — on the outside of the playoffs, looking in — mired in a 6 game losing slide.

Inability to clear the puck was one of Dion Phaneuf’s many mistakes in Toronto’s 5-3 loss to St Louis on Tuesday night.

The Leafs’ captain was so frustrated by multiple errors, he refused to talk to the media after the game. Something he now says he shouldn’t have done. And that’s not the only change he’s making, going forward: “I’m gonna play better, I can tell you that. I don’t know what more I can say is that I’ll be better.”

What both the players and coaches say needs to change is their first period play. In the last eight games, Toronto has allowed 17 first period goals. During those same games they’ve played 480 minutes of hockey, but only led for about 22 minutes.

Phil Kessel: “We’re a good team right? But we’re starting the games terrible, getting down a couple of goals and they’re outplaying us for the first half of the game — and all of a sudden we wake up and it’s too late.”

What’s causing the team to get off to such bad starts? The players insist it’s not nerves, but Randy Carlyle doesn’t seem convinced: “We can’t look past that — we’ve lost 6 in a row, bottom line. There’s no other way to say we can’t feel good about ourselves. But we have to prepare to play the best game of the year tomorrow night. Pressure comes from within, it comes from outside. It comes from everywhere. I think the amount of pressure you put on yourself to perform is really and truly who you have to answer to.”

Phaneuf is hopeful: “We’re gonna get out of it. I know right now it seems like we’re at a low point, but we’ll come through it.”

The Leafs are in Philly Friday night. And then on Saturday they host the Red Wings who are in the 2nd wild card spot, tied with the Leafs in points.