Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot have the Edmonton Oilers on the cusp of the playoffs.

And while the world is now well aware of the absurd talent McDavid possesses, as the 20-year-old eyes his first of many Art Ross and Hart trophies, it can be argued that Talbot's been as crucial to the Oilers' success as No. 97.

Related: Talbot continues climb among Oilers' all-time netminding greats

By now, you know the facts: No goalie has played more games, faced more shots, and made more saves than Talbot. And you can forget about fatigue - Talbot's save percentage is an exceptional .929 in March.

Talbot's not worried about the workload. It's the culmination of his hard work, his journey to becoming a No. 1, and of the habits he picked up along the way.

"I've always had a pretty good work ethic and I got to sit behind one of the best in the world and watch his work ethic for two years," Talbot told NHL.com's Tim Campbell, reflecting on his two seasons as Henrik Lundqvist's backup with the New York Rangers.

After providing excellent relief in 34 starts in 2015-16 when Lundqvist was hurt, Talbot got his chance. He was traded to the Oilers for three draft picks in late June 2015, and, in his late 20s, he knew it was now or never. When the time came, he planned to be ready. And he was. He is.

Now, with a top-10 save percentage in the league, Talbot is willing to look back, albeit briefly.

"I did a good job preparing myself," he said.

Talbot signed a three-year extension last January, and he certainly hasn't let the security of $12.5 million affect how hard he works, or his game.

"You can never be too sure," he said. "You want to be confident in yourself. But I still had something to prove to myself, and to this organization when they traded for me. I think I've done a pretty good job of that."

If you disagree, you're wrong. Simple as that.

Talbot has never started a playoff game. That'll change this spring. In two limited postseason relief appearances in 2014, the 29-year-old stopped 11 of 13 shots. Here's another safe bet: That .846 save percentage is going up.

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