Listen closely and you might still hear the echo of applause.

The first half of the season was like that for Lightning players. It seemed they were never more than a handful of hours away from the next ovation and postgame celebration.

And they deserved it all. The cheers, the praise and this 10-day break.

And now they deserve this truth.

They are still miles away from the Stanley Cup. That's not a revelation, but it should be a daily reminder. Teams that excel in the first half of the NHL season are guaranteed nothing in the playoffs.

In fact, recent history says they usually go down in flames prematurely.

The last nine teams that were leading the NHL in points at either the All-Star or Olympic break failed to win the Stanley Cup. To be more precise, none of them even reached the Cup final.

You have to go back to the 2007-08 Red Wings to find a team that dominated the first half and continued winning right up until the final game of the postseason.

Now, that's probably just a fluke. A statistical oddity that does not imply correlation and causation are in any way related.

But it should have enough cautionary-tale quality to keep Lightning players on edge. And if doesn't, coach Jon Cooper will be reminding them at opportune moments.

Talking to reporters at the morning skate Thursday, Cooper was occasionally glib, usually thoughtful and always mindful of the implicit desire for sound bites. But when someone asked if the game that night against Toronto, in second place in the division, would have a playoff feel, Cooper's response was telling.

"No,'' was all he said.

As much as anything, that explains the difference between what Lightning players accomplished in the first half — an NHL-high 76 points, an .800 winning percentage at home, more than two months without back-to-back losses — and what still lies ahead of them.

Hockey is a different game in the spring than in the winter. Weaknesses are discovered and exploited. Hits come harder and more frequently. Home ice is negligible, and the margin for error is minuscule.

"We have a lot of talent on this team. We've proven that,'' said defenseman Victor Hedman. "But that's all we've proven. The first half isn't going to mean anything once the playoffs start.''

Now, to be fair, Tampa Bay has no glaring needs. The offense leads the NHL in scoring, but the defense is also in the top 10 in goals against. The power play is No. 1 in percentage, and the penalty kill is No. 5. The shooting percentage is outstanding, and the number of hits is respectable.

All of that, along with the size of Tampa Bay's points lead, suggests this is not the typical league leader going into the All-Star break. But thinking that way will lead to only trouble.

"The NHL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kinda league,'' said defenseman Braydon Coburn. "One of the advantages we have is the depth on this team. We have enough internal competition all over the lineup that guys are hungry to prove themselves night in and night out.''

This isn't a question of whether a team should take its foot off the pedal. If winning in the first half does not guarantee playoff success, losing certainly won't, either.

This is more about what is accomplished in the margins. Identifying areas that need work and tinkering with the pieces to find the combinations that work best.

This is about remembering the lessons of last season, when a higher seed and home-ice advantage turned out to be meaningless in a seven-game conference final against Washington.

The Lightning had more victories, scored more goals, gave up fewer goals and took two out of three in the regular season against the Capitals but still came up one game short.

"We want to be the best team in the league and bring it every night. How it sets itself up after that is going to have to unfold,'' said center J.T. Miller.

"You don't get to decide when you're going to peak. If we peak at the end of the season, we'll know when it's all over. But right now, we're just trying to win every game.''

Season First-half leader Playoff result

2017-18 Tampa Bay Lost conference final

2016-17 Washington Lost 2nd round

2015-16 Washington Lost 2nd round

2014-15 Anaheim Lost conference final

2013-14 Anaheim Lost 2nd round

2011-12 Detroit Lost 1st round

2010-11 Philadelphia Lost 2nd round

2009-10 Washington Lost 1st round

2008-09 Boston Lost 2nd round

2007-08 Detroit Won Stanley Cup

* The 2012-13 season did not have an All-Star break due to a lockout.