Gerard Gallant recently acknowledged just how much more familiar he is with his Rangers players after the first quarter of his first season with the club, but the one skater the head coach has been sure about how to use since Day 1 is Barclay Goodrow.

When the Rangers need a boost or to change things up, like they did in the 4-3 shootout win over the Lightning on Friday night, Gallant has taken to plugging Goodrow throughout the forward lines wherever he sees fit.

That’s exactly what Gallant did in the first game of the home-and-home series with Tampa Bay on Friday — and it paid off.

After flipping Goodrow to the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome and bumping Dryden Hunt early in the middle frame, the Rangers got a big-time goal from Goodrow and that new unit in the third period to take a 3-2 lead.

Strome won the faceoff and Goodrow cut to the net, as did the Rangers’ second-line center. Panarin then made a deceiving backhanded pass at the top of the zone to K’Andre Miller, who put it on net for Goodrow to tip in at 13:35.

Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs.

Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Rookie Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Patrick Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs.

Burrow was outstanding again, completing 30 of 39 attempts. He was sacked four times and hit at least six more times but was as accurate as ever, and Chase caught everything that was thrown near him.

The Chicago Bears defense made sure the fans who sat through the cold at this season’s Soldier Field finale on Sunday had a memorable game to watch, even if it was a meaningless one.

The Bears had four takeaways — including two in the first four minutes of the game — and a safety to fuel a 29-3 victory over the New York Giants.

Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn had a strip-sack against former Bears quarterback Mike Glennon in the fourth quarter for his 18th sack this season — breaking the Bears’ record of 17 ½ set by Richard Dent in 1984.

Giants QB Mike Glennon, who was filling in for starter Daniel Jones, who has a neck injury, completed 4 of 11 passes for 24 yards and the two interceptions and was sacked four times.

Quinn’s sack also pushed him over 100 for his career. The Bears called timeout after the play, and Quinn was able to spend time hugging teammates while the Bears put the milestone on the video board.