What we learned from the Ducks’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Canucks

A third consecutive home overtime loss is not the way the Ducks want to head into this week’s home-and-home series against the Kings, who memorably eliminated Anaheim in Game 7 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

Sunday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks underlined the concerns at hand.

The potent offense that led the NHL in goals last season isn’t itself

The Ducks have scored two goals or fewer in seven of eight games, and they were limited to one Sunday against a team reeling from a 5-1 loss the night before -- to the defensive-minded Kings, nonetheless.

It certainly hurt having leading goal-scorer Corey Perry on the shelf for a third game with the flu, but the offensive crispness that has made the Ducks so entertaining is missing.

“Guys are getting good looks, good offense is being generated, but we’re … not scoring and the guys who put the most pressure on themselves are in the room,” Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said. “It’s not going to come by hoping. You’ve got to go get it.”

Efforts like the 34-save showing by goalie Frederik Andersen can be produced only so often

“He was great, stood on his head, the reason we got a point,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said.

The coach showed appreciation for the way rookie defenseman Josh Manson and Sunday minor league call-up Mat Clark performed in place of Cam Fowler (lower-body injury) and Francois Beauchemin (flu), but Andersen was left alone to make some key stops due to the depletion.

The out-of-sync performance Sunday started with the blue-liners, a unit also missing injured Ben Lovejoy (fractured finger) and Mark Fistric (back).

The absences are taking a toll

The flu and some injuries have changed the Ducks’ identity, but there’s a chance Perry, Beauchemin and Fowler could all play Wednesday to help stabilize the situation.

“I don’t know what to expect anymore, because every day it’s something different,” Boudreau said. “So I’ll just come to work, see who’s healthy, and we’ll go with who we have.”

Takeaway No. 4: Ducks center Ryan Kesler’s disappointment with losing his reunion game with Vancouver by shootout -- he clanked the post to seal the outcome in a format he disdains -- could change quickly.

Kesler’s higher-profile return-to-Vancouver game is Nov. 20.

“These are two of the top teams in the league who are banged up,” Kesler said. “We competed hard, fun game to play in.”