Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler had a minus-4 defensive rating during a 5-2 loss Friday to the Blues in St. Louis, which came two nights after he was minus-1 during  a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He refused to blame his poor play on the full face shield he’d worn since suffering a broken nose during the Ducks’ victory March 5 over the Kings. Nevertheless, he said he would not wear it for Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. He pulled it off near the end of Sunday’s practice.

“It’s coming off,” Fowler said. “You want to take precautions when it comes to that stuff. Just a little bump or a stick to the face would be a setback, so … It’s pretty much healed now. It’s to the point where I need to get back to normal. It’s bothering me a little bit too much. The nose is all healed and ready to go, which makes it an easy decision. … I’m happy to be back to normal.

“I was still able to do a lot of the same things with it or without it. The only thing it affected was my peripheral vision and being able to communicate with my teammates. So, it’s a relief to have it off and be able to do those things. It was no excuse for anything that was going on with my play. It was a tough thing to get used to, but I was happy I was still able to play. It was one of those things you have to deal with along the way. But I’m happy I’m back to normal now.”

Fowler has four goals and 23 points and a minus-11 defensive rating in 54 games.

.