Rangers have showdown Tuesday with Carolina, but Gerard Gallant emphasizes big picture

GREENBURGH, N.Y — Eighteen-hundred and 13 days.

That is the number of days between truly meaningful games the Rangers have been involved in. The 4-2 loss in Game 6 of the 2017 second-round series against the Senators for, all intents and purposes, was the beginning of the end of the John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault Era.

So what does Tuesday’s Madison Square Garden match against Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina mean?

“It’s a first-place game,” Gerard Gallant said after practice Monday at the MSG Training Facility.  “We’ll see where it goes. And again, I told you it doesn’t matter if we finish first. I want to win every game. I want to finish first. And the end of the day, at the end of [this week] where we finish, who we’re going to play, that’s the important thing. It doesn’t matter [who you’re] going to play [because] there are eight great teams in the conference.”

So the fourth and final regular-season matchup against Carolina, which leads the Rangers by four points in the division race, is important. But the result is not so vital that it will determine the fate of their playoff journey.

All of which is why Gallant is more focused on how his team finishes the regular season, instead of where they ultimately end up in the standings.

“Got to finish,” Gallant said, in response to a question about what his message is to his team. “Keep playing well . . . That’s what we’ve done for the most part. You’re happy as a coach when you see a team play like that. There hasn’t been any big breakdowns or play two periods of garbage hockey. We’ve played pretty solid hockey the last number of games.”

Which is undoubtedly a positive. So, too, are the returns of Kaapo Kakko, Andrew Copp and Filip Chytil, all of whom participated in the practice session. Copp skated on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, while Kakko, Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere comprised a third line.

All of which prompts a question: Does this mean the trio will rejoin their teammates in the lineup Tuesday?

“Those three guys are a game-time decision and we’ll see where it goes,” Gallant said.

What would be the determining factor in whether one, two, or all three play?

“Health, obviously,” said Gallant, who emphasized the macro rather than the micro. “[Being] one hundred percent [healthy] is more important than a couple games.”

Kreider nominated for Masterton Trophy

The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association announced Monday morning that the Rangers chapter nominated Chris Kreider for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication.” Kreider, 30, has skated in all 79 games this season, scoring a career-high 51 goals, and ranks third on the team with 75 points. Along with the NHL’s other individual awards, the Masterton will be awarded on the off day between Games 3-4 of the Stanley Cup Final.