When the New York Rangers clinched a playoff berth on March 26, there wasn't a celebration. There was barely an acknowledgment of the feat in their dressing room after an overtime win against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
The accomplishment was procedural, a bridge to greater things.
"If you want to lift the Stanley Cup, you've got to get into the playoffs first," New York center Mika Zibanejad said. "We have bigger goals. That's Step 1 for us."
Step 2 is likely winning the Metro Division, the first time the Rangers will have topped their group since 2014-15.