NEW YORK — Another night, another game, another injury.

The Ducks paid their first visit to the New York Islanders’ new home, UBS Arena, and did so without another of their top offensive threats. Right wing Rickard Rakell was sidelined by an unspecified upper-body injury, unable to play in a 4-3 loss Sunday and further crowding the training room.

Team captain Ryan Getzlaf (lower body) and right wing Jakob Silfverberg (lower body) were joined on injured reserve by center Sam Steel, who suffered a facial injury when he was accidentally struck in the face by a puck during the Ducks’ loss Thursday to the Nashville Predators.

Coach Dallas Eakins said he would know more about the extent of Rakell’s injury Monday. The Ducks’ five-game trip ends Tuesday, when they play the New York Rangers. Their loss to the Islanders dropped them to 0-3-1 on the trip and to 4-9-1 since the All-Star break Feb. 4-5.

“It’s a challenge,” Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said of playing without key players filling key roles for extended periods following the break. “We’re a young team as it is, so you look at some of the key guys we have out who play key minutes for us, fill key roles in our locker room.

“It’s got to be met as a challenge, though, and not used as an excuse.”

Kyle Palmieri scored twice and Zach Parise and Anders Lee also scored for the Islanders. Josh Manson, Isac Lundestrom and Adam Henrique scored for the Ducks. Lundestrom (lower body) returned to the lineup for Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils after missing two games.

John Gibson returned to the net after Anthony Stolarz made 39 saves in the Ducks’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Devils. Gibson made several solid saves Sunday and a few excellent ones, too. He didn’t get much help after Manson’s turnover led to Parise’s goal only 2:18 into the game.

The Ducks also left Palmieri unmarked in the lower portion of the right faceoff circle, where he accepted a pass from Scott Mayfield and beat Gibson with a quick shot that gave New York a 4-2 lead at 17:25 of the second period. Lundestrom’s goal at 14:23 of the second had cut the Ducks’ deficit to 3-2.

Gibson’s best save was made with the shaft of his stick on a close-range shot from Palmieri in the closing seconds of an Islanders’ power play in the early minutes of the third. You didn’t have to be an expert lip-reader to know Palmieri told Gibson, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

New York goalie Ilya Sorokin was a difference-maker, particularly in the third period, when the Ducks swarmed his net while trying to trim a 4-2 deficit. Sorokin shut out the Ducks during New York’s 4-0 victory Feb. 27 at Honda Center, making 34 saves. He made 39 saves Sunday.

“I’m not going to say he stole the game or anything,” said Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, who was denied on point-blank chance after a fat rebound landed on his stick midway through the final period, with the Ducks down 4-2. “He certainly did his part to give them a chance to win.”

In the final analysis, the game slipped away from the Ducks during a 25-second span in the final minute of the first period, when Palmieri scored the tie-breaking goal at the 19:31 mark and Lee followed with what certainly seemed like a back-breaking goal to make it 3-1 at 19:56.

“It’s one of those games, I think, where there’s a whole lot of good,” Eakins said. “They’re sitting here waiting for us. It’s a back-to-back. We’re a little thin in our lineup and we were able to compete hard, create a lot of chances. I don’t know if their goalie was excellent or if he was lucky. He kept them in it.”

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