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GREENBURGH, N.Y. --Gerard Gallant started the season by setting what he figured was a reasonable goal for the New York Rangers.

"To be battling for a playoff spot," the coach said.
It's fair to say clinching a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and battling the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division with nine games remaining was not part of his original vision.
"But it is now," Gallant said. "Things change during the season. It doesn't shock me right now."
The Rangers can move into a tie with the Hurricanes for first place in the division by defeating them in regulation at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
Carolina has 102 points in 73 games (47-18-8). New York has 100 points in 73 games (47-20-6).
"You want to see where you stack up," Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "They want first place, too, so it should be a fun game for us."
Carolina will end Tuesday night in first place regardless because it currently has two more regulation wins than New York (41-39), but the fact that the Rangers are in the position they are is a testament to how they've played since losing 6-2 to the St. Louis Blues on March 10, the same night the Hurricanes won 2-0 against the Colorado Avalanche.
At that point, the Hurricanes held an eight-point lead on the Rangers with one game in hand.
New York is 11-3-1 since, including a 2-0 win at Carolina on March 20, the night after it won 2-1 at the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers have also won three times against the Pittsburgh Penguins since March 25 to open a six-point cushion on them in the division standings.
"I think we're playing better defensive hockey overall," Gallant said.
New York is allowing 2.40 goals per game and 26.2 shots on goal per game in its past 15 games, both second in the NHL in that span.
"We're playing a smarter game with the puck, managing the puck better," Gallant said. "It's simple things. It's not like we're changing a whole lot of systems. That's not happening. It's puck management is better and giving up less Grade A chances, and that's really important."
Carolina is 7-6-3 in its past 16 games since the 2-0 win against the Avalanche.
"We've been yo-yoing a bit as of late," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. "It's always interesting playing against teams that are out of the playoffs and teams that are in and the different kind of games you might run into. We know we have to be a consistent group, and we have been. Our first goal is making playoffs, and it's only natural I think to maybe have a little lull once you do clinch, but I think the guys have gathered themselves a bit. I'm trying to tell them we need to be playing our best hockey rolling into the playoffs, and that's not taking any shortcuts in these last nine games. We want to continue to build on what we do best and how we play Hurricane hockey. That's what we're going to try to do."
That message is easier to hammer home when there's something tangible like first place on the line like it is on Tuesday.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said that should energize the players at a time when it can feel like they're just slogging through the last two-plus weeks until the playoffs begin.
"It's way better because there is something on the line here kind of on the side," Brind'Amour said. "There's a little more interest in the game, certainly surrounding the game. I don't know if it changes anything you're doing, we're preparing to play regardless, but there is a little more buzz around the game. Everybody wants to win and be the best, and we're trying to be the best in the regular season in our division."
The Rangers and Hurricanes will also play against each other at Madison Square Garden on April 26. That's Carolina's penultimate regular-season game.
New York will still have two more after that one, at home against the Montreal Canadiens on April 27 and against the Washington Capitals on April 29.
"It's important," Staal said of finishing first. "I mean, it could matter. It might not matter, but it could so it's important. We wanted to be No. 1 this whole year. We wanted to be the best team in the league."
The Rangers just wanted to get into the playoffs. That's not enough anymore.
"The bigger picture is down the road," Gallant said. "If you had a disappointing result [Tuesday] night it's not the end of the world, but I think for playing nine games, there's something to look forward to. There's a battle."