Breaking News:Carolina Hurricanes just recieve a very disheartening and terrifying news now

The New York Rangers are good. Like, really good. Like, Stanley Cup contender good.

And so are the Carolina Hurricanes.

Which is what made the Rangers’ 1-0 win in Raleigh on Tuesday night more than just another regular-season victory in an 82-game grind.

Forced to be at their best – because, make no mistake, the Hurricanes were equal to the task Tuesday – the Rangers skated away with their biggest win of the season, on the road, extending their lead in the Metropolitan Division to six points with 17 games to play

That’s significant because the Rangers and Hurricanes won’t play again in the regular season. There’s not another chance for the Hurricanes to make up ground head-to-head.

Finishing first in the division is a big deal because there’s a very good chance that the Rangers and Hurricanes will meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And surely the Rangers would love to have the MSG home-ice advantage against an opponent that is as deep and probably just as good as they are.

That said, let’s examine a few takeaways from the Blueshirts’ big win

Let’s start with Igor Shesterkin. There might not be a better or more dialed-in goalie in the NHL right now than Shesterkin. He’s flipped the script 180 degrees from January, when he was a questionable All-Star selection trying to battle his way out of a disturbing slump

Shesterkin is 9-1-1 in his past 11 starts, has three shutouts in his past 10 games and posted shutouts in consecutive starts for the fourth time in his career. Only Lorne Chabot (six times) and Ed Giacomin (five) have accomplished that feat more often in Rangers history

He made things look easy again Tuesday. His positioning and timing were impeccable. Again. Shesterkin is in a great place with the playoffs just about a month away. And that is probably the best news the Rangers could receive.

Yet, the 1-0 win wasn’t just about the Rangers goalie. He got plenty of help. Even if they scored just one goal for him, the Rangers also blocked 23 shots in front of Shesterkin. The Rangers hounded the Hurricanes all over the ice, taking a page out Carolina’s playbook. Playing the second of a back-to-back set, the Rangers showed resolve, skating with smarts and purpose for 60 minutes.

It was a winning formula, not only for this game, but for the playoffs this spring.