UNIONDALE, NY — Jack Hillen smiled when asked about playing in Madison Square Garden, the location where an ignominious season will come to an end for the Islanders.

But Hillen didn’t need to go through the Midtown Tunnel to experience the sounds of a pro-Rangers crowd. The Blueshirts-fan contingent made the sold-out Nassau Coliseum feel like MSG as the Rangers clinched a playoff spot with a 3-0 win over the Isles last night.

Jaromir Jagr scored two power play goals in less than two minutes and Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 10th shutout of the season. The Islanders lost for the 11th time in the past 13 games and will see its season mercifully conclude tonight at the Garden.

But the Isles did enjoy some positive news. Hillen logged 15:39 of ice time, partnering with Radek Martinek on the blue line in his NHL debut. Two days after signing with the big club, the 22-year-old undrafted free agent received power play time on a roster rocked by injuries to veterans like Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton.

“There weren’t any nerves,” Hillen said. “Maybe a little bit in the locker room before the game. But when you’re on the ice, the game moves fast enough where you don’t have to think about that.

“You just concentrate on doing your job out there and try to learn new systems right away.”

Hillen led all NCAA Division I defenseman in scoring, notching 37 points in 41 games while helping Colorado College advance to the regional championships before losing to Michigan State. The 5-10, 190-pound left-handed shot recorded an even plus-minus rating and showed glimpses of the puck-moving skills that enticed the Isles to sign him last week.

“Jack played as well as anyone I’ve ever seen in their first game,” said captain Bill Guerin, who also lauded first-round pick Kyle Okposo’s early production when he was called up from AHL Bridgeport last month. “He handled himself great out there.”

Okposo, Hillen and the rest of the young players could be key parts of any possible Islanders’ resurgence next season. While the fans were forced to watch a hated division rival clinch on Coliseum ice, the Islanders assured themselves of at least the fifth seed in the NHL’s draft lottery, which gives them a chance at the top overall pick. Should they finish with the fifth seed in the drawing, the franchise would have an 8.1 percent chance of being selected for the first overall pick.

“That's three to five years down the road,” coach Ted Nolan said. “You never play a season to try and get in the lottery or finish at the bottom. But teams that finish at the bottom are sometimes rewarded. Look at Pittsburgh a couple years ago.”

The Islanders drafted Rick DiPietro the last time the club secured the first overall draft pick. While general manager Garth Snow might not get lucky enough to move up that high, he will be in position to add an impact player that could bring the type of buzz Okposo continues to provide.

Speaking of Okposo; the 2006 seventh overall selection nearly converted a one-time chance four minutes into the game and handled physical checks from Rangers agitator Sean Avery. Nolan cited the Okposo-Blake Comeau-Richard Park line as the best unit on a struggling team.

“We know where we are in the offensive zone,” Okposo said. “We’re able to break out smoothly. We weren’t chipping or chasing the puck. That just comes with more time playing with each other. We had our fair share. I need to put those in the net.”

Okposo also praised Hillen’s effort despite not being able to give him much advice before the opening faceoff.

“I thought he played pretty well. He was calm and poised with the puck,” Okposo said. “He fit in nicely.”

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