The boys in green are back at home again this weekend for their fateful rematch with the Calgary Roughnecks. The Rush took the first round of the Battle of the Prairies back in Week 12, snagging themselves a 16-13 road win over Calgary. Now, seven weeks later, the Roughnecks are on their way to Saskatchewan for a pivotal revenge match. Sitting just out of the Elite Eight, the 7-8 Roughnecks are in a neck-and-neck (pun completely intended) race to the playoffs with the 7-8 Ottawa Black Bears.
Coming off a bye game in Week 18, and another slated for Week 20, the Roughnecks are down to their last few opportunities to sneak their way into the postseason. The Rush are sitting comfortably in the two-seat, and have already punched their playoff ticket, and with a previous defeat looming over their heads, a Friday night upset sounds like a tall order for the Roughnecks. However, after Vancouver’s 13-12 upset over the Bandits last weekend, the skill is still the limit for Calgary. Weather depending, a win over the Rush could put the Roughneck back in the running for a playoff bid, and in a far more comfortable position heading into their Week 21 doubleheader against the Las Vegas Desert and the Colorado Mammoth.
Buffalo Bandits vs Colorado Mammoth, January 06, 2024 at KeyBank Center.
It’s no secret that the Bandits are in a bit of a rut late in the season. The once thought infallible reigning champs have now found themselves on the receiving end of a two-game tough streak, falling just a goal short to Albany and Vancouver. Though their playoff appearance has already been guaranteed, they’re not exactly eager to tally another loss. With the sting of their last two games still fresh in their minds, and the impending absence of forward Chris Cloutier heading into Saturday’s matchup against Colorado, the Bandits are now fighting to uphold their Buffalo pride and give the League a refresher on why they’re the two-time defending champions.
The Bandits are on the road for this weekend’s contest at Ball Arena, statistically the most ideal matchup for a Buffalo statement game, as the team is now 6-1 away, making them the only team to not lose multiple road games so far this season. The Mammoth, still tied for fifth (Georgia, San Diego, Vancouver), now find themselves next in line to disrupt Buffalo’s mythic status. Though still missing Eli Zed Williams and Eli McLaughlin, Colorado is still finding success where it counts, thanks to the efforts of forwards Ryan Lee and Connor Robinson, despite going 1-2 in their last three games. However, it’s going to take a full-squad effort and a Mammoth team win to topple Buffalo from their shaky golden throne.
Vancouver Warriors’ Keegan Bal on March 29, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Vancouver Warriors @ Buffalo Bandits. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
Vancouver has done the impossible, triumphing over the reigning Buffalo Bandits to catapult itself back into the postseason picture–and just in time for the hoedown! Hosting the Albany Firewolves for Country Night, presented by Coors Banquet, the 8-7 Warriors (now 3-0 since acquiring goalkeeper Christian Del Bianco from Calgary) are once again tied for the fifth seed, still sharing the most volatile position on the leaderboard with Colorado, Georgia, and San Diego. A win or a loss for any of these four squads could spell a last-minute fall from good standings with just two remaining matchups to cement a playoff appearance… just what the Firewolves have been waiting for.
Taking a page out of the Vancouver playbook, the 6-9 Firewolves are on a mad dash to the finish line, with only a few short weeks left to claw their way through. In order to break even, the Firewolves need a win over the Warriors this Friday, and a clean sweep in their two-game series against San Diego. Their thus far unprecedented three-game streak, which includes their Week 17 overtime win over the reigning champs, has reignited the Firewolves from a second thought to a serious contender, as far as eight-seed predictions go. Neither squad has cemented its appearance heading into this weekend, and with just two more weeks remaining, neither team has room to let off the gas for even a moment.
Despite getting stuck in an unexpected snowstorm, our Nova Scotian bronze-medalists are far from going cold. Heading into their final regular-season home game of the season, coinciding with Fan Appreciation Night, the 9-6 Halifax Thunderbirds are holding onto their cushy third-place seat, but they’re not out of the woods yet. Halifax is only a half-game ahead of Rochester and one game ahead of the teams tied at fifth, making them the perfect target for an upset.
The Seals have been surging 👀🦭 pic.twitter.com/KvLyG4QAwu
— NLL (@NLL) April 4, 2025
The San Diego Seals have made it clear they are not going out with a fight, or at the very least, without a flashy exit. The Seals have scored double-digit goals in seven straight games for a 5-2 in those record, with several players nearing some significant career milestones, including Trevor Baptiste, now just two faceoffs away from passing Tyler Burton for 9th all-time NLL faceoff wins, and Ryan Benesch, now five points away from passing Shawn Evans for 5th all-time NLL points. Additionally, as one of the four teams fighting for the number five spot, the Seals have everything to gain with a win over the Thunderbirds, who, conversely, need one more win to clinch their seat at the table.
Colorado Mammoth at Ottawa Black Bears 03.23.25
We are back at Blue Cross Arena for yet another Ottawa crunch game, as the 7-8 Black Bears take on the 9-7 Knighthawks this Saturday night. After a much-needed win over Philadelphia last weekend, Ottawa is still just shy of the fifth-place tie, needing another win and a few losses across the League to gain the few necessary inches up the rankings and secure the team’s first postseason appearance in franchise history. Rochester is still on fire, fanning the flames of a five-game winning streak, looking to match their longest winning streak since returning to the league in 2020.
Ottawa captain Jeff Teat also has the chance to join Hall of Famers Gary Gait (5) and John Grant Jr. (3) as the one of the only players in NLL history to record three 50-goal seasons, and the second player ever to tally three consecutive 50-goal seasons, after Gary Gait, all in just his fourth season in the NLL. Teat currently sits at 43 total goals with just three games left in the regular season. On the opposing side, Rochester forward Connor Fields also stands to notch his third 50-goal season (currently at 41 on the season), making Saturday’s matchup all the more intense.
TEATER!
Jeff Teat scores 4 goals and records 5 assists as the Black Bears take down the Wings 13-5
Teat now leads the league with 43 goals this season🚨 pic.twitter.com/EqSCq2qbZ4
— NLL (@NLL) March 29, 2025
The Wings are searching for a win heading into the weekend. With the first of their two-game series against the Swarm slotted for Saturday in Duluth, Philly is already heading in at a disadvantage, having moved forward Michal Sowers back to the IR List as of April 1 (a pretty sick April Fools joke, if you ask me). This is Sowers’ second stint on IR this season, and with the Wings already lacking in firepower after their 13-5 loss to Ottawa this past weekend, rookie transition Dalton Young, moving up for Sowers against the Swarm, will need to step it up in a major way over the next three weeks.
In Duluth, the Swarm are riding high, having revealed their Spider-Man themed jerseys for Marvel Super Hero Night at Gas South Arena! Now back in the upper echelon of the League standings after their Week 18 OT win over Halifax, and do not plan to lose any steam heading into this weekend’s contest. Sitting in the number five spot ahead of Saturday night, Georgia shares an identical 8-7 record and 174-175 goal differential with the Colorado Mammoth, who are sitting below in the six-seed, and just a win behind the 9-7 Knighthawks currently monopolizing the coveted fourth seed. While a seed swap between Georgia and Rochester wouldn’t change their quarterfinal matchup, it could be the difference maker between a home or a road playoff game for the Swarm.
Toronto vs Halifax 03-07-2025
After a long first half of the season, The Rock is getting re-used to the taste of victory, having won two of their last three matchups since breaking an earlier three-game losing streak. Coming off their largest win of the season in Week 17, a 15-8 victory over the Wings, Toronto is currently at the mercy of every team ahead of it, needing not only the next three wins, but for any combination of the four teams ahead of them to lose out.
On the home front, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, having been eliminated from playoff contention after allowing 20+ goals in three of their last six games (the only team to do so this season), are now on the warpath to ruin someone’s day. Additionally, Las Vegas forward Jack Hannah is just six shots away from cracking 100 career NLL goals in his sophomore season in the League. On the visiting side, Chris Boushy and Dan Craig are both three and eight goals away, respectively, from reaching 150 career NLL goals.
