With one game left in the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes now have clinched the Metropolitan Division.
They still don't know who their first-round opponent will be in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
And they still don't know if injured goalie Frederik Andersen will be able to play when the playoffs begin next week.
But first things first. The Canes went into Madison Square Garden on Tuesday needing a victory over the New York Rangers to wrap up the division and got it, 4-3.
The Pyotr Kochetkov story — quickly becoming a saga — added another chapter. The rookie goalie, just 22 but with a mature nature to his play, had 31 saves and won his matchup with Igor Shesterkin for a third win in as many games.
Kochetkov got the offensive support he needed. Vincent Trocheck, after sitting out a game, returned to contribute a goal and assist. Jordan Martinook and Teuvo Teravainen scored — Teravainen's 100th with the Hurricanes — and Sebastian Aho made it 4-1 in the third period with his 37th of the season.
Things were hectic in the final minutes. The Rangers scored twice with an extra attacker to make it 4-3, but the Canes held on.
The Hurricanes also have made some franchise history. With 53 wins and 114 points, they eclipsed the two records set by the 2005-06 team, which had 52 and 112.
That 2006 team won the Southeast Division. They also won some bigger — the Stanley Cup.
"Our goal when we started the season was to finish 82 games and be the best team," Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday's morning skate at the Garden. "Definitely want to finish that right."
The Canes won the Central Division last year in a 56-game condensed season, playing the same opponents throughout the pandemic-shortened season. But a move back to the Metro put them in the toughest division in hockey.
All eyes again were on Kochetkov on Tuesday although a pleasant sight for all associated with the Hurricanes was having Antti Raanta on the bench as the backup. Raanta left Sunday's game against the Islanders with a lower-body injury — Kochetkov again was needed — but had recovered enough by Tuesday to be available if needed.
Kochetkov again appeared comfortable enough in the crease. A big, athletic type, he bounced out of the net in the first period to play a puck in the circle as the Rangers' Chris Kreider was charging down at him.
Kreider got the best of him in the second, taking a pass from Frank Vatrano for a breakaway score and his 52nd. The Rangers had made it 2-1 and it was loud.
But Teravainen had a quick response. On a rush into the Rangers zone, Teravainen faked a pass and zipped a shot past Shesterkin with 1:41 left in the second.
The period ended with some scuffling behind the Canes net as Niederreiter and the Rangers' Adam Fox both picked up roughing penalties.
That made for a 4-on-4 start to the third period and Aho promptly made it 4-1 in the first 32 seconds as Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin picked up assists.
The Canes needed some active penalty killing late in the first period and early in the second to keep the Rangers from taking the lead. Brady Skjei had a hooking call, then Jordan Staal was called for hooking early in the second and then Martin Necas for tripping.
After all the PK work was done, Trocheck took a cross-ice pass from Skjei to Shesterkin's right and beat him top shelf. Martinook made it 2-0 at 13:48 of the second when a Derek Stepan shot caught him in front of the net.
The Canes' Max Domi played in his 500th career game. But the night, again, belonged to Kochetkov, who played his third.
