"The Lightning are on a roll, relatively speaking.

With a 6-1-2 record in the past nine games, Tampa Bay is enjoying its best stretch of the season as it plays the Sabres tonight. But even with just one regulation loss in the past nine games, gaining any ground in the playoff chance has been a difficult task.

With 29 games left in the season, Tampa Bay finds itself tied with Buffalo for 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings, nine points behind the Southeast Division lead and 10 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

According to sportsclubstats.com, the chance of Tampa Bay earning a playoff spot is 4.8 percent, giving the Lightning just a sliver of hope.

"We have to keep on winning and winning, but I think what we don't want to do is focus on other teams, period,'' Lightning head coach Guy Boucher said. "We can't control what other teams do. …We have to be even keel about what it is that we are doing.''

During their nine-game run, the Lightning have gained only four points in the standings.

But there is a ray of hope. All the Lightning have to do look across the Gandy Bridge at their counterparts from Major League baseball to know even a sliver of a chance means there is a chance."