So the Rangers went head-to-head with the mighty Hurricanes on Tuesday night in a game between two playoff-bound clubs that had first-place implications in the Metropolitan Division standings.

This all somewhat snuck up on the Rangers, as center Ryan Strome put it on Saturday after the Rangers clinched their first playoff berth in five years. Strome recalled when he first joined the Rangers in 2018-19 and how the team endured a couple of rough years. Chris Kreider even admitted he took his first five seasons, when the Rangers were a lock for the postseason each year, for granted.

But here the Blueshirts are now. After watching the dance from afar the past four seasons, which included the three-game sweep at the hands of the Canes in the qualifying round of the 2020 bubble playoffs, the Rangers are on the precipice of surpassing 100 points and vying for the top seed in arguably the league’s toughest division.

Asked if he thought he’d be coaching a team in a race for first place in the Metro, head coach Gerard Gallant said he knew the Rangers were going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot, which was the club’s ultimate goal for the season. But now, since that goal has been realized, the Rangers can move on to new aspirations.

“I didn’t know how good the other teams were going to be,” Gallant said on Monday. “I knew we had a decent team. We were going to be in a battle for a playoff spot. When coming in, I said our goals: I think we’re going to be battling for a playoff spot. Now, did we play a little better after the first 15 or 20 games than I thought we were? Yeah, we started to play better. But I started to know our players and know our team and it didn’t take long. It doesn’t surprise me now.

“But if you would’ve said that [at] the [beginning] of the year, I would’ve said, ‘No I don’t think that’s going to happen.’ I legitimately thought we had a real good chance to make the playoffs. And if they would’ve said, ‘Well, did you think you’d be battling with Carolina for first place?’ At that time, I probably would’ve said that’s not our goal — but it is now.

“Things change during the season. Your players get more experienced and the way our goaltending has played all year, the goaltending has been excellent. Our team is playing better and it doesn’t shock me right now.”

The Rangers needed to take a step, and that resonated throughout the lineup. Even if the postseason doesn’t go the Rangers’ way, the team was still able to learn how to deal with success. For a young club like the Rangers, it’ll go a long way down the line.

Forward Kevin Rooney noted that the Rangers have a standing board posted in their locker room, so the team always knows where it’s at. But the Rangers must stay even-keeled.

“We’re ready for this, as a team, as a group, as a whole organization,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “This is where we wanted to get back to and we’re here. Now it’s time for the players to step up and play and make some noise.”