What we learned from the Ducks’ 4-1 loss to the Islanders

Like a nasty winter illness, the Ducks’ issues are lingering and won’t go away easily.

The two-steps-forward-two-steps-back theme was evident in their dressing room after a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday, and next comes a four-game trip.

Here’s what we learned:

They can lose ground in a hurry

The Ducks had crept back into the Pacific Division picture with a 4-0-2 run, but a 0-1-2 homestand translates to four points lost in the standings.

They are five points out of third, the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference. It’s only November, but every regulation loss increases their degree of difficulty.

“I had an awful lot higher aspirations in these three games at home than what the results ended up,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “You would have liked to see different outcomes in all three.”

Carl Hagelin is missing in action

Hagelin was demoted to the fourth line, which didn’t play in the third period. Hagelin played 5:07, including eight seconds shorthanded.

That’s not the return the Ducks envisioned when they traded for Hagelin, a proven scorer and one of the league’s better penalty killers.

The Ducks are tense

At least that was the feeling that dominated the Ducks’ dressing room, from Ryan Kesler’s negative assessment of the team’s mood to Boudreau’s tight, worried look.

The momentum they built during that 4-0-2 run has dissipated, and anyone who has followed the Ducks in the Boudreau era knows they are prone to doubt.

“It’s just frustrating, really, as a group,” Cam Fowler said. “It’s unacceptable. We expect better, and we need to sort this thing out quickly or we’re going to be in a bigger and bigger hole.”