None of it matters anymore.
Not the Rangers’ first Presidents’ Trophy since 2014-15.
Not their clean sweep of the Metro division and Eastern Conference.
Not any of the individual brilliance by Artemi Panarin or any of their other stars in what was a record-breaking regular season.
Now, all that matters are the Capitals.
The Rangers finally learned that the Capitals will be their first-round playoff opponent after the latter’s 2-1 win over the Flyers on Tuesday night.
It brought a long-awaited answer to one of the most wide-open races for the final wild-card spot in recent memory.
