DETROIT — The season is 20 games old, right in the sweet spot where it is still early enough that you need to operate with a degree of caution, but not so early that you can wave away what is happening by calling it a small sample size.

The New York Islanders put an exclamation point on their road trip with a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar’s Arena on Thursday night.

Detroit hosts New York in a crucial Eastern Conference clash tonight at 7 p.m. ET. The Red Wings, leading the Atlantic, face a strong Islanders squad currently holding a Wild Card spot. Despite Detroit's home advantage,

Schaefer dominates elite competition, propelling the Islanders' success and earning a Team Canada Olympic spotlight. His evolution proves unstoppable.

The Islanders are real, and they are spectacular. The seventh game of a seven-game road trip, no matter who it is against, is as close to a scheduled loss as there could be. Legs are dead. Everyone is tired.

On Monday, Nov. 10, the New Jersey Devils hosted the New York Islanders for their first matchup of the season. Both teams were coming off a win in their last game, the Devils beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout and the Islanders shutting out the New York Rangers 5-0.

Get New Jersey vs New York hockey betting preview, spread and over/under insights for their matchup on Nov. 10.

The Rangers came into Saturday hoping to finally win at home, and the Islanders came into Saturday hoping to put forth a 60-minute effort.

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Rangers play the New York Islanders looking to stop a six-game home losing streak. New York is 7-6-2 overall and 1-3-0 against the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers have scored and allowed 35 goals this season for an even scoring differential.

Mathew Barzal scored in overtime, Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced and the Islanders edged the Devils 3-2 on Monday night.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Detroit Red Wings hosted the Seattle Kraken for the two teams’ first matchup of the season. It was a highly competitive contest, but the Red Wings were the stronger team of the two,