The Rangers competed in the first of their 17 remaining Metropolitan Division matchups on Thursday night, when the Capitals came to Madison Square Garden for the teams’ second of three meetings this season.

Having only played nine division games through their first 50 contests, the Rangers are in for a grind to the finish in the airtight standings. As important as it is to solidify the best possible position heading into the postseason, simply securing their first legitimate playoff berth since the 2016-17 season is all the Rangers are allowing themselves to worry about.

“For me, speaking personally, I just want to get in,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “You always hear that’s the most important thing. Once you’re in, it’s a lot of good teams in this league, and anything can really happen. You see teams beat teams that finished higher than them in the regular season.

“Obviously, you want to be able to play playoff games on home ice and have that advantage. At the same time, getting there is the most important thing.”

The Metro is hands down the NHL’s most competitive division, and how the Rangers fare down the stretch can lead to either a first-round exit or a longer run in the playoffs. This is certainly not lost on the Rangers, who are sure to experience a learning curve come the postseason as a team with little playoff experience.

“When you’re playing divisional opponents, it almost seems like you’re taking points away from them also when you play,” Fox said. “It makes it that much more important. You don’t really want to worry about the opponent. But at the same time, divisional games, that’s the teams you’re competing with for playoff spots. They definitely take on a little stronger meaning.”

After facing Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and the rest of the Capitals, the Rangers then venture to Pittsburgh to square off against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins for the first time this season. The Rangers still have three games against the Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes on the calendar, as well as three more with the Islanders, who may currently be on the outside looking in on the playoffs but always present a challenge.

At the top of the Metro, four points separate the first-place Hurricanes and second-place Penguins. Pittsburgh had a chance to pull within two Thursday night against the Devils. Entering Thursday’s game, the Rangers trailed the Penguins by a single point and were ahead of the Capitals by four.

“We’re 50 games in, you haven’t seen Pittsburgh once,” winger Chris Kreider said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve seen Carolina once, Washington once, right? So, we’ve got so many divisional games, and obviously, it’s so tight at the top of the standings there. Not just from a measuring-stick perspective, but obviously, they’re going to be big games. Expect them to have more of a playoff feel, right? Every game is important; two points are always important, but divisional games are more like four points.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to see where we’re at and to continue to get better, continue to improve.”