It’s rare that you get help from an enemy. That was exactly the case last night with the Rangers’ archrival the Devils losing 1-0 at home to Calgary. On a day they were idle, a Devil loss helped the Rangers clinch the playoffs. It will be the eighth time in nine years they’ll compete for the Stanley Cup.

To be honest, I could care less that it was a Devil defeat which got them in. Barring a ridiculous collapse, they were making it. The Rangers host the Hurricanes tonight. You know they want to avoid a three-game skid. Even as Alain Vigneault acknowledged that Ryan McDonaugh won’t return until he’s 100 percent. Not exactly encouraging to have him sit out until the first round. But that might be the case. There’s nothing new on Chris Kreider, who remains questionable.

Right now, they have a chance to guarantee home ice. In fact, a win combined with a Flyers loss at Florida would inch them closer. If the Blue Jackets lose to Phoenix, a Ranger win would assure at least a three seed in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus plays four games in five days. They lead the Devils and Maple Leafs by three for the second wild card and are four clear of the Capitals. The Red Wings currently hold the first wild card with 88 points. One up on the Jackets.

I know home ice hasn’t meant a great deal. If you ignore the loser point, the Rangers are three under .500 (18-21) at MSG. A legit concern entering the postseason. For whatever reason, they don’t play well there. Just look how flat they were against Ottawa. Granted. Not having McDonaugh was noticeable. Without him, the defense is average. With apologies to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, this team isn’t going anywhere without a fully healthy Mac Truck. He’s the anchor who can impact the game in every facet.

It still would be nice to finish strong and guarantee a potential Game 7 at The Garden. Especially if it’s against the Flyers. In such a series, that could be huge. They’re one of the few teams the Rangers have had success at home against. They only met four times this season with each prevailing on home ice twice. In fact, the Flyers haven’t won at the World’s Most Famous Arena since Feb. 20, 2011. The Rangers have won the last eight meetings at MSG. Psychologically, that could loom large.

Of course, once the regular season ends, you can throw most logic out the window. However, it’s an intense rivalry. There’s no doubt that both teams play better at home feeding off the energy of the fans. That’s why it’s still important to do what they can to gain home ice. If they fall short, the Rangers have had great success on the road posting a 25-14-1 mark which really equals 25-15. In a first round win over Washington last Spring, they rallied from a 3-2 deficit taking the deciding Game 7 in D.C. convincingly 5-0. With a veteran group highlighted by Henrik Lundqvist, they’re more than capable of winning away from MSG.

For now, they’ll look to wrap up second place. According to Vigneault, Jesper Fast will play as he did at yesterday’s practice on a line with Carl Hagelin and Brad Richards. Derek Dorsett will play with Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore on the fourth line. Daniel Carcillo is a healthy scratch. Henrik Lundqvist gets the start. Tonight’s projected lines:

Nash-Stepan-St. Louis

Hagelin-Richards-Fast

Pouliot-Brassard-Zuccarello

Boyle-Moore-Dorsett

J. Moore-Girardi

Staal-Stralman

Diaz-Klein

Lundqvist

Talbot