PREVIEW: On the road, Red Wings out to sweep season series with Islanders on Monday  

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Making a quick trip out east, the Detroit Red Wings will face the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Monday night.

Puck drop for the final matchup of the season between the Red Wings (8-10-2; 18 points) and Islanders (8-8-5; 21 points) is set for 7:30 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

Detroit is looking to sweep the season series with New York, first blanking the Islanders, 1-0, at UBS Arena on Oct. 22 before earning a 2-1 victory at Little Caesars Arena last Thursday (Nov. 21).

“They’re going to play hard, especially being in their building,” said goalie Alex Lyon, who will start between the pipes for the Red Wings on Monday. “When you beat a team twice, I think they have a bad taste in their mouth.”

Detroit is officially a quarter of the way through the season after dropping a tight 2-1 game to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Lucas Raymond, who scored the lone goal, said gaining and playing with consistency will help Detroit as it heads deeper into the season.

“We’ve had some good moments,” Raymond said. “I don’t think it’s the start we would have wanted, but at the same time we’ve played games where we’ve played the way we’re supposed to. We know we can be successful that way, so it’s just about getting the compete up and start playing the right way. I think the wins will follow.”

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde had a similar assessment, describing Saturday’s game as “a microcosm of our whole season.”

“Thirty minutes of some pretty good hockey,” Lalonde said. “It felt like we were at a good spot in the game, then we kind of got away from it towards the end of the third period. Seeking some consistency, but the one positive is we’ve had some stretches of some very good hockey. It’s just finding it more often.”

Raymond’s goal on Saturday extended his point streak to three straight games. Through the season’s first 20 contests, the 22-year-old forward leads the Red Wings with 19 points (four goals, 15 assists).

“You always find ways to be able to contribute and do more,” Raymond said. “Obviously [scoring] goals is part of that, but I haven’t worried about [the number of goals]. I still want more out of it, but I think our focus right here is getting in a rhythm and start winning some hockey games. I think a lot of things will come easier as well.”

Sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division, New York snapped a three-game winless skid by defeating the St. Louis Blues, 3-1, on Saturday.

Pacing the club in goals (nine) and points (18) this season, Kyle Palmieri has tallied two goals and two assists over his last five games. In eight games this season, goaltender Semyon Varlamov has a 3-3-2 record with a 2.60 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.

“They’re a really good defensive team,” Raymond said about the Islanders. “You look at the previous two games that we’ve played them, the keys have been being patient, playing our game and just trusting what we’ll do will pay off. Same game plan going in.”