TAMPA, Fla. — The Rangers aren’t getting ahead of themselves. 

Ahead of their 62nd and 63rd games (out of 82) this weekend, against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning and the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, the Rangers refused to look any further than the task at hand. Even though they’ve had a firm hold on a playoff spot for much of the season, the message is that nothing is guaranteed yet. 

“We got to get in the playoffs first,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said following their morning skate at Amalie Arena on Saturday, ahead of the matchup against Tampa Bay. “There’s still 21 games left and we got to play good hockey and we got to make sure we get in. That’s what a coach is looking forward to, playing good games like we played the last two, getting as many points as we can get and get into a playoff spot. 

“We’re in a playoff spot right now, but you’re not in until you’re in. When there’s a little ‘x’ beside us, I’ll be happy.” 

All but one of the Rangers’ remaining games (versus the Jets on April 19) will be against Eastern Conference opponents. Points will be crucial until the end of the regular season on April 29, and that’s not lost on the Rangers. 

Utility forward Barclay Goodrow said he expects every matchup to be intense. With so much on the line, the Rangers will need to bring their best hockey, not only to maintain their playoff position, but also to gear up for a shift in playing style for the postseason. 

“I think all you can control is the effort you put forward that night,” Goodrow said. “If you start looking too far in advance and you let games slip away, next thing you know, you’re not where you want to be in the standings or your games not looking how it should be. 

“I think we’ve been doing that for a while, I think we’ve been doing a pretty good job of that, looking at the current game at hand and not worrying about what’s coming in the next week or next month or trade deadline or whatever it is.” 

The Lightning have reached the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, while the Hurricanes have transformed into serious contenders the past three seasons after going nine straight without a playoff berth. The back-to-back should serve as a tune-up for the Rangers, who are incredibly close to their first playoff series since 2017. It should also reveal a lot about where the club is at compared to two established Stanley Cup contenders. 

Goodrow, one of the few Rangers with ample playoff experience after he earned two rings with the Lightning, noted that everything is amplified during the postseason. In addition to being faster and more intense, mistakes are magnified. He said it usually brings the best out of teams, and he expects the same to apply to the Rangers. 

“It’s going to be a big test for us,” Goodrow said. “I think we’re confident in ourselves, when we’re playing the way we know we can play. We know we’re hard to beat. So it’ll be a good test for us. It’s two games we’re really excited for, two games that I think we can improve a lot.”