It'd be easy for the Buffalo Sabres to lose focus.
They've been the NHL's best team since early December, rapidly climbing the standings and nearing the franchise's first playoff berth since 2011, and now some players are hearing their names mentioned in trade rumors ahead of Friday's deadline.
Yet, even as the Sabres' postseason odds reach 97% (via HockeyStats.com), they can't afford a single ounce of complacency during the stretch run of the regular season.
"It's just all in the guys. We've been working hard and doing the right things, is really what it comes down to," goalie Alex Lyon told reporters ahead of Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "It's been awesome, but we've got still, realistically, a quarter of the season to go. So, it's nice, now we have to buckle down and continue to find a sustainable way to play."
In a general sense, that's the biggest difference between this year's Sabres squad and most of the groups from the organization's 14-year playoff drought. They have found a way to win consistently. They bounce back from poor periods or even a few losses instead of letting it snowball into a season-destroying losing streak.
Now it's time to see a different level of resistance, though. Most of the clubs they face between now and end of the regular season will be desperate. Whether it's improving their playoff seed or merely trying to secure a spot in the postseason field, Buffalo is going to see opponents' 'A' games.
That's why Lyon, who owns some experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs from his time with the Florida Panthers, has tried to keep his teammates grounded all season. He understands it only gets tougher from here, no matter how good the Sabres are playing.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon hold the key to the Buffalo Sabres' true upside
Buffalo has compiled a 25-5-2 record since Dec. 9, which is the best mark in the NHL over that nearly three-month span. Its 24 regulation or overtime wins during that stretch are five more than any other team in the league. Those are numbers that suggest the run is no fluke.
Terrific goaltending has been the foundation of the extended hot streak.
The Sabres have posted an eye-popping .917 save percentage over those 32 games. Alex Lyon (.926 SV% in 15 games) and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.922 SV% in 14 games) are the main reason the team transformed from an also-ran into a legitimate Eastern Conference contender.
Colten Ellis (.903 SV% in six games) has also held his own when called upon, but he'll likely be the odd man out unless Lyon or UPL suffers another injury.
Yes, the Sabres defense corps, led by the tremendous top four of Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram, deserve a share of the credit for their goalies' success. They've done a great job of limiting high-danger chances.
The Blue and Gold have also done a much better job than past years of defending leads. That was on full display in Tuesday's victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, where the score remained 3-2 for the entire second half of the contest.
A lot of it simply comes down to the goaltending, though. It was perhaps the biggest question mark for the Sabres coming into the campaign, and the jump from an .888 team SV% last season (30th in the NHL) to a .908 mark this year (fourth) changed the entire outlook.
Now the question is whether Luukkonen and Lyon can keep it up for the remaining 21 regular-season games and into the playoffs.
Head coach Lindy Ruff will likely continue to split starts between the two netminders — if it ain't broke, don't fix it — but there's also the ability to lean more heavily on one member of the dynamic duo if the other begins to falter over the next six weeks.
Buffalo probably won't receive a .917 team SV% from this point until the end of the season but, if that number can remain solidly above .900, it'll be a threat to make some serious postseason noise.
That's music to the ears of a fanbase that's desperate to Party in the Plaza again.