While the bulk of contenders duke it out to secure playoff spots, the Tampa Bay Lightning sit comfortably atop the NHL with nothing left to play for.

The Lightning clinched the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with nine games left in the regular season. With no blueprint for how to play hockey games that don't matter, they're glad that eight of their final nine games come against teams currently in playoff position and turning this into a dress rehearsal for what could be a long run.

"It helps with the teams that we have left on the schedule," forward Adam Erne said. "They're all going to be playoff-like games, and I think we have a playoff mentality and we know that we can't just flip a switch once playoffs start. We want to prepare ourselves for the first round."